Washington ‘quietly’ ramps up weapons transfers to Israel amid Gaza war: US media
The United States has secretly increased its military aid to Israel, including more sophisticated missiles and equipment, amid the occupying regime’s brutal onslaught against the Gaza Strip, according to a report.
The American news outlet Bloomberg said in a report published on Wednesday that the Pentagon had “quietly” ramped up military aid to Israel by delivering more laser-guided missiles for the regime’s Apache gunship fleet as well as bunker-buster munitions, 155mm shells, night-vision devices, and new army vehicles.
“As of late October, for example, all 36,000 rounds of 30mm cannon ammunition, 1,800 of the requested M141 bunker-buster munitions and at least 3,500 night-vision devices were delivered,” the report said.
Citing an internal Defense Department list, the news outlet said, “The arms are already being shipped or the Defense Department is working to make them available from stockpiles in the US and Europe.”
The Pentagon has so far declined to comment on the report, but it said in a statement that it was “leveraging several avenues – from internal stocks to US industry channels – to ensure Israel has the means to defend itself.”
The statement said the assistance would be provided on a “near-daily basis,” and that the US was rapidly supplying Israel with precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, 155mm artillery shells and other munitions in addition to Iron Dome interceptors and medical support equipment.
The damning report comes as Israel continues to bombard the besieged Gaza Strip, with rights advocates having urged Washington, which annually gives Tel Aviv $3.8bn in military assistance, to stop providing unequivocal support to the Israeli regime and end its weapons transfers.
In a letter on Monday, more than 30 relief organizations wrote to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to dissuade him from sending Israel the 155mm shells over the extent of their “collateral damage.”
“In Gaza, one of the world’s most densely populated places, 155mm artillery shells are inherently indiscriminate,” the organizations said. “These munitions are unguided and have a high error radius,” as they often land 25 meters away from the intended target.
Israel waged the brutal war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity.
Since the start of the war, the Tel Aviv regime has claimed the lives of at least 11,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left upwards of 29,000 others wounded.
The Israeli regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the coastal sliver, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there in abject misery.
