A senior official from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated on Monday that the U.S. military is speeding up the delivery of new supplies of air defenses, ammunition, and other security assistance to Israel to help it respond to an unprecedented attack by Hamas over the weekend. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Pentagon reporters, said, "Planes have already taken off. We are increasing our support for Israel... We remain in constant contact with our counterparts in Israel to determine their most urgent requirements and then meet them."
The United States has not yet provided details about the extent of Israel's requests for security assistance. However, the U.S. defense official indicated that Washington is communicating with the defense industry to expedite outstanding Israeli orders and is looking into U.S. military stocks to help cover Israeli gaps. The official also alleviated concerns that the U.S. might struggle to supply Israel with weapons while simultaneously transferring arms to Ukraine, stating, "We are able to continue our support for both Ukraine and Israel while maintaining our global readiness."
In a related context, the Pentagon announced that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown, spoke on Monday with the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Herzi Halevi, to discuss the Hamas attack and the steps needed to strengthen the U.S. military presence in the region and efforts to enhance regional deterrence.
