from al Jazeera
The United States has greenlighted the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, The Washington Post reported, even as it publicly expresses concerns about the long-threatened Israeli invasion of Gaza’s Rafah and the rising civilian casualties in the enclave.
The new arms package includes more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and Department of State officials, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The 2,000-pound bombs, which can inflict damage to people up to 1,000 feet (300 metres) away, have been “linked to previous mass-casualty events throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza”, the report said. The US gives $3.8bn in annual military assistance to its longtime ally.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said the transfer “amounts to about $2.5bn”, adding that “this is taking place despite a growing rift between both the Israeli and US governments”...
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This is awful!
ReplyDeleteAnd remember this is endless aid BEFORE any big multi-billion aid package, which johnson was heard just days ago bragging at some kind of gathering of republicans that he, yes He was going to find a way to get that aid package (border, uke, cho$en one$) passed in the house.
ReplyDeleteAnd sure enuf, it was claimed a month ago that it would be sometime after easter recess.
Point is this complementary and purely coincidental (!) F-35 gift tells u that these incoming batch of f-35's will be all retro-fitted ready to go the day they land there, with the necessary outboard pylons, wiring, etc. and/or modified bomb bay to fit the bombs they're so graciously providing.
ReplyDeleteBUT what else?
Tells u they've racked up so many flying hours on all of them, in that dusty gritty air very abrasive wearing on the engines even if they have titanium parts that they're ALL now due for major running hour overhauls--tells u how much bombing has been done on gaza.
That would mean ALL IAF f-35s grounded all at once.
So what to do about that?---just send for a whole batch of freshly overhauled or even brand new ones, zero hours on the engines!
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-finalising-f-35-sale-israel-tensions-over-gaza-war-plan-boil
Congress was notified of the $2.5bn sale of F-35 Fighter Jets in 2008, but Israel may take possession of them as it readies a Rafah invasion