In this file picture, an Israeli missile launched from the Iron Dome missile system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells. (Photo: AFP)
Washington, June 7 (RHC)-- Washington has pledged to restock the Israeli regime’s Iron Dome anti-missile batteries following their depletion during Tel-Aviv’s 11-day military campaign against occupied Palestinian territories.
The promise of the military aid to the notorious Israeli regime was made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Washington with visiting Israeli military chief Benny Gantz in the presence of the White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The development came after a bipartisan group of US lawmakers signed a letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, demanding from the US military to quickly work with Congress to fulfil any request to restock the Israeli regime’s supply of the Iron Dome system even though its brutal onslaught against Palestinian territories slaughtered nearly 250 Palestinians, including many women and children, while injuring and displacing many more.
According to the report, the key objective of Gantz’s latest visit to Washington was securing the American funding of the regime’s anti-air system, which only succeeded in intercepting just a fraction of hundreds of rockets launched by the Gaza-based fighters of the Hamas Islamic resistance movement.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says Israel intends to ask for an additional funding from the United States to replenish its missile system, calling on Congress to approve the request.
While U.S. officials made no immediate announcements regarding the funding, Austin was quoted in an AP report as saying that US President Joe Biden "has expressed his full support for replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which saved so many lives.”
“We are committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge and ensuring that Israel can defend itself," Austin further claimed in typical and unconditional expression of support for Israeli atrocities and war crimes regularly committed against native Palestinian people.
This is while hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina visited Israel this week to show his support for the Zionist regime following its latest military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, insisting that he expected the Israelis to seek up to $1 billion from Washington for its Iron Dome system, including the restocking of its interception missiles.
Israel’s latest war on Gaza, however, has also exposed an emerging rift with Biden’s Democratic Party, as progressive legislators and activists demanded a cease-fire from the Israeli regime as the Palestinian death toll surged during the massive bombardment against the densely populated Gaza.
Tel Aviv launched the bombing campaign against Gaza on May 10, following Palestinian retaliation against violent raids on worshipers at al-Aqsa Mosque and the regime’s plans to force a number of Palestinian families out of their homes at the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Apparently caught off guard by the unprecedented barrage of rockets from Gaza, Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire on May 21, which Palestinian resistance movements accepted with Egyptian mediation.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 260 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive, including 66 children, 40 women and 16 elderly while 1,948 others were wounded.
In response, Palestinian resistance factions fired more than 4,000 rockets and missiles into the occupied territories, killing 12 people.
