The U.S. has provided Israel with enough military firepower to fill five C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes since the start of its war with Hamas barely more than a week ago, and Pentagon officials say additional assistance is on the way.
The wartime supplies heading to Israel include more precision-guided munitions, artillery shells and interceptor missiles.
“You’re going to probably see a steady flow of weapons continuing to flow into Israel,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. “You’re seeing almost near-daily deliveries into Israel, and I would expect that those are going to continue to flow.”
The deliveries are coming amid regular exchange of fire between Israeli military units and Hamas militants operating in the Gaza Strip. The hostilities began on October 7 when the terror group launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people — mostly civilians — in communities near the border and seizing an estimated 200 Israeli and foreign hostages.
Israeli military units are now massing in the area for what is expected to be a ground offensive against Hamas inside the densely populated Gaza enclave itself.
Fighting between Hamas and Israel also prompted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday to issue “prepare to deploy” orders to about 2,000 U.S. troops who could be sent to the region in response. The Pentagon has been surging troops, ships and assets to the region in part to keep the conflict from escalating into a region-wide war.
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The Defense Department “remains focused on three objectives: supporting Israel‘s defense through security assistance, sending a strong signal of deterrence to any actors who may be thinking of entering the conflict, and staying vigilant to any threats to U.S. forces,” Ms. Singh said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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