Massive US funds for Iron Dome bad sign of things to come
The massive allocation of funds, reportedly, to get Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system up and running – by years end! – is, I think, a major indication that Lebanon and Israel are steadily heading to war. (A side point – with this one, single allocation, the US has exceeded ALL of the money actually delivered to the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2006!).
Nasrallah has mentioned the system itself on several occasions, and one is led to believe that the failure of Israel to currently field such a system is a major reason why he IDF has not engaged Hizbullah yet (or so Hizbullah seems to think).
Very bad news for those who want to bet on an alternative policy.
“US to Put $205 Million Towards Israeli Rocket Defense System – The US Department of Defense has said it would allocate $205 million to Israel to complete its development and deployment of a defense system designed to protect civilians against incoming short-range rockets and mortars. The system, dubbed Iron Dome, is expected to become operational by the end of the year. Washington said the funding was a gesture that the US was committed to safeguarding Israel’s security needs. The aid is in addition to the $3 billion in annual US defense aid to Israel. Most of that money must be spent in the United States, while the additional aid can be used to pay for the Israeli-built Iron Dome. The $205 million is reportedly the sum Israel spent so far on developing the one-of-a-kind system. When deployed, it will drastically reduce the threat of Kassam rockets fired at Israeli towns from the Hamas-held Gaza Strip and Katyushas fired from Lebanon.”
