(PatriotWise.com) — In a briefing with reporters on Monday, a senior Pentagon official said that the US is “surging” munitions and air defenses to Israel following Saturday’s brutal surprise attacks by Hamas, The Hill reported.
The official told reporters that the Pentagon is in “constant, ongoing contact” with its Israeli counterparts to determine Israel’s “most urgent requirements” and support them.
While the Pentagon declined to say what specific weapons Israel has requested, the official said it included “munitions of various types” along with additional equipment.
The Pentagon has also contacted US defense contractors to ensure “expedited shipment” of any pending orders from Israel that may have otherwise been “considered routine for movement,” the official said.
Additionally, the Defense Department is working with all Pentagon offices, including US CENTCOM, “to assess what munitions and other equipment” are currently in US inventories that “can be made quickly available for Israel.”
After Saturday’s attacks, which killed more than 900 Israeli civilians, President Biden informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “additional assistance” was on its way and further assistance would arrive over the coming days.
A US carrier strike group was also moved closer to Israel, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
What remains unclear, however, is how much weapons and ammunition the United States has available for Israel after pouring billions worth of lethal aid into Ukraine.
The Pentagon official told reporters that there are “resources, authorities, and funding” available to support Israel, and Defense officials are working with Congress to ensure further appropriations are available “to support and respond to crises and contingencies.”
Addressing the possibility that Hezbollah will exploit the situation to attack Israel from the north, the official told reporters that US officials are concerned that Hezbollah might make “the wrong decision” and attempt to “open a second front,” and the Biden administration is working with Israel and its regional partners to contain the fighting in Gaza.
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