France to Send 12 Additional Caesar Howitzers to Ukraine

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov shakes hands with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu during a press conference as part of Ukraine's Defense Minister's official visit, at the Hotel de Brienne, the French Ministry of Armed Forces, in Paris on January 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov shakes hands with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu during a press conference as part of Ukraine's Defense Minister's official visit, at the Hotel de Brienne, the French Ministry of Armed Forces, in Paris on January 31, 2023. (Reuters)
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France to Send 12 Additional Caesar Howitzers to Ukraine

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov shakes hands with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu during a press conference as part of Ukraine's Defense Minister's official visit, at the Hotel de Brienne, the French Ministry of Armed Forces, in Paris on January 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov shakes hands with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu during a press conference as part of Ukraine's Defense Minister's official visit, at the Hotel de Brienne, the French Ministry of Armed Forces, in Paris on January 31, 2023. (Reuters)

France said on Tuesday it will send 12 additional Caesar howitzers to Ukraine and has discussed training Ukrainian pilots to fly French fighter jets as part of military assistance to Kyiv in the war with Russia.

Speaking after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov in Paris, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France will also send 150 army staff to Poland to train up to 600 Ukrainian soldiers per month there.

Paris has already delivered 18 Caesar howitzers to Kyiv. The additional 12 Caesar Howitzers will be funded by a 200-million-euro ($217 million) fund approved by the French parliament, Lecornu said.

"If these 12 Caesar are possible, it is because Nexter (the manufacturer) has increased production capacity," he added.

On Monday when asked about sending fighter jets to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron had said at a press conference in the Hague "by definition, nothing is excluded".

Lecornu reiterated that position on Tuesday, saying "there was no taboo" when asked the same question.

France's position when it came to supplying arms to Ukraine was that it should not weaken France's own defense capacity, that it should be useful and practical to help Kyiv in the war with Russia and that the weapons be used only by Ukraine to defend itself, he said.

Training Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets was "part of our discussions but no decision has yet been taken on that issue," Lecornu said.

Reznikov said on Tuesday that a decision by France this month to provide Kyiv with light AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles had had a "snowball" effect, with other allies later promising to send tanks.



Team of US Troops Supporting a Missile Defense System Arrives in Israel

 This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
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Team of US Troops Supporting a Missile Defense System Arrives in Israel

 This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)

A team of American troops supporting a missile defense system in Israel has arrived in the country, the US military said.

A statement from Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the team’s arrival in Israel on Monday.  

They will operate a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery there to defend against ballistic missile attacks from Iran.  

Tehran has launched two missile attacks on Israel as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon rage.

“Over the coming days, additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel,” Ryder said. “The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines.”

Iran has warned US troops would be in harm’s way if Iran launches another attack on Israel.

The Biden administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not hit Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back following Iran's missile barrage earlier this month, two US officials said Tuesday.

The administration also believes that sending the THAAD battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it has eased some of Israel’s concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and general security issues.

However, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions, cautioned that the assurance is not iron-clad and that circumstances could change.  

The officials also noted that Israel’s track record on fulfilling assurances in the past is mixed and has often reflected domestic Israeli politics that have upended Washington’s expectations.