Israel asks US for more military support

A group of senior Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, have put pressure on the American Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey to get his administration to increase military support for Israel, Quds Press reported.

During a meeting in Tel Aviv, the officials concentrated on underlying “long-term” American support for the Israeli army, with a special concentration on weapons and combat equipment, Quds Press reported an Israeli website saying.

The Israeli website said that this kind of Israeli pressure for more American military support reflects Tel Aviv’s fear of the US-Iranian nuclear deal. According the newspaper, the US is trying to supply more weapons to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States to silence them regarding the deal.

During the meeting, Dempsey said: “Israel does not only want our military assistance, but also better weapon quality.”

The website said this meant Israel was looking to get better and stronger weapons the Arab armies were receiving from the US.

Dempsey provided no pledges at the meeting, however the Pentagon said it would continue to cooperate with Israel.