Leaked Document: The U.S. Secretly Increased Military Aid to Israel
Despite the U.S. administration‘s stance on the war that erupted on October 7th between Israel and Hamas, revealing disagreements between the State Department and Congress, an internal document from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) shows that the United States has secretly increased its military aid to Israel, extending beyond the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
According to the document, as reported by Bloomberg, Washington provided laser-guided missiles for the Apache helicopter fleet, 155mm artillery shells, night vision devices, fortification-busting ammunition, and new military vehicles to Tel Aviv.
Sources familiar with an internal Pentagon list of this equipment indicate that the U.S. military aid goes beyond what the United States announced in terms of support for the Iron Dome system and smart bombs manufactured by Boeing, revealing that such aid continued to flow to Israel even as U.S. officials increased warnings to Tel Aviv about avoiding civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
The agency stated that the weapons provided by the United States to Israel were listed in a document titled “Requests from a Senior Israeli Commander,” dating back to October of last year, and circulated within the U.S. Department of Defense.
The document confirmed that these weapons have already been shipped, and the Department of Defense is working to provide them from existing stocks in the United States and Europe, expediting their delivery to Israel compared to new contracts.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry refused to discuss the details of the weapons, but the Pentagon stated in a statement that it employs various methods, including internal stocks and U.S. industrial channels, to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself.
The statement added that this security assistance continues to flow to Israel almost daily, pointing out that the United States rapidly provides precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, 155mm artillery shells, and other ammunition.
This aid comes in addition to the Iron Dome anti-missile missiles and other medical equipment. The allocations for artillery shells and other ammunition have drawn significant criticism from non-governmental organizations, stating that U.S. supplies allowed Israel to advance in the bombing campaign that killed more than 12,000 residents of the Gaza Strip.
In a letter on Monday, more than 30 relief organizations wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging him not to specifically send 155mm caliber shells.
On Tuesday, three congressional aides announced that they no longer felt comfortable staying silent about the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians.
Last week, a strike was carried out in the Capitol building, along with a wave of open letters to lawmakers, reflecting deep divisions among Democrats about the extent to which criticism of the Israeli military campaign should go.
