Israel seeks urgent replenishment of Iron Dome missile defense after Hamas barrage – with US facing pressure to rush supplies to protect two key allies
- Hamas said it fired 5,000 rockets in the weekend attack
- Israel is seeking support from the Pentagon to replenish its missile defense stockpile
- President Biden
Israel has asked the Pentagon to help it revamp its Iron Dome missile defense system after it suffered a stunning barrage of rockets during Hamas’ weekend offensive on border areas.
Israel is also calling for more precision guided weapons and artillery as the Israel Defense Forces pound targets inside Gaza with the prospect of a full-scale invasion looming.
The White House and the Pentagon have already promised to give Israel what it needs as it builds up its defenses after the startling terror attacks in border towns.
Some lawmakers are already citing the chaos in Congress as a potential mid-turn obstacle. The House is currently without a speaker after the impeachment of Kevin McCarthy. This could make it difficult to boost US military support as the White House relies on the existing “withdrawal principle”.
“We need to elect a Speaker this week so we can get things on the floor, like refilling the Iron Dome, get a resolution we’ve been working on the ranking member (Rep. Gregory Meeks (DN.Y.)) and I, a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for what it has done to Israel,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told CNN on Sunday.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel on October 8, 2023. The preliminary death toll from the attack in Israel has reached 900
The Biden administration has briefed lawmakers on Israel’s most pressing demands, which include precision-guided bombs and missile interceptors, Politico mentionted.
Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a siege of Gaza that is expected to involve a large ground force. Israel has called up 300,000 reserve forces. This will also deplete equipment and supplies.
“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” said Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. “We fight human animals and act accordingly.”
A plume of smoke rises into the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9, 2023. Israel pounded the Gaza Strip mercilessly overnight and on October 9 as fighting with Hamas continued around the Gaza Strip
President Joe Biden said at least 11 Americans were killed
“We just started hitting Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
President Biden has pledged to provide Israel with everything it needs for its defense,
“We’re going to make sure that they have the help that their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves,” Biden said in remarks on Saturday.
In a televised address on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza had “just begun.”
“We just started hitting Hamas,” he said. “What we do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
He spoke after reports that at least 900 Israelis were killed in the attacks from Gaza. President Biden said in a statement on Monday that at least 11 Americans were among the dead and raised the possibility that there were American hostages.
While there is longstanding political support for Israel in Congress, the latest demands could lead to issues forced by supply and demand. The US is already sending billions in military aid to Ukraine as it seeks to reverse the Russian invasion.
While the two militaries have different capabilities, Ukraine’s requests for US artillery shells have already clashed with the stockpile that Pentagon planners say must remain in storage for possible US use.
Biden’s latest request for $24 billion in additional credit for Ukraine remains deadlocked.
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