3,000 Tons of Munitions from US, Europe to Israel

Israeli vehicles near Ashkelon last October 15 (AFP)
Israeli vehicles near Ashkelon last October 15 (AFP)
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3,000 Tons of Munitions from US, Europe to Israel

Israeli vehicles near Ashkelon last October 15 (AFP)
Israeli vehicles near Ashkelon last October 15 (AFP)

The Department of Production and Procurement (DOPP) at the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that last week it has purchased 3,000 tons of munitions and weapons for 6 billion shekels.

It said about half of the equipment were bought from Israeli factories, while the other half arrived from Europe and the United States on 100 cargo planes and five ships.

The Ministry affirmed that the purchases, which came to respond to Israeli needs in the event of a wider war involving Lebanon, include bombs, missiles, radars, drones, vehicles, ambulances, medical equipment and more.

The Department said that some of these purchases had already arrived and were being used.

Additionally, it noted that the Directorate of Defense Research and Development dedicated more than 3 billion shekels for research, development, and armament, covering both defensive and offensive capabilities.

In this regard, the Ministry said it has activated about 651 factories and engaged approximately 57,000 workers who received mobilization orders.

Additionally, it rented approximately 8,500 vehicles, more than 4,000 buses, and over 2,000 trucks, tractors, and heavy machinery for the Israeli military.

The DOPP also noted that the engineering department at the Israeli Army spent some 1 billion shekels to repair military bases and communities on the border that were damaged from the October 7 Hamas attack.

It bought 350,000 tons of equipment and construction materials and hired 100 construction companies to undertake the repair works.

Also, in an attempt to appease angry families over the military's failures, the Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department recognized 712 army personnel as disabled due to injuries, unlike in the past, when every case was carefully studied by a medical committee.

Also, the ministry has decided to continue to accommodate 125,000 people evacuated from almost 100 communities on the border of Lebanon and Gaza, who are staying in hotels and guest houses.

Meanwhile, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that they have agreed to increase the compensation pay given to reservists by 40 percent, in addition to allow a one-time grant of 1,100 shekels for those who served more than 8 days and 2,000 shekels for those who served 14 days or more. They also agreed to pay these sums on a monthly basis.

So far, the war has cost Israel 30 billion shekels, with the US Congress planning to give Israel $14.3 billion in assistance as the Israeli-Hamas war continues.



Team Trump Assails Biden Decision on Missiles for Ukraine

US Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida, speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
US Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida, speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
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Team Trump Assails Biden Decision on Missiles for Ukraine

US Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida, speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
US Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida, speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (AFP)

Donald Trump's allies voiced vehement criticism Monday of President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine use US-supplied long-range missiles for attacks inside Russia, accusing him of a dangerous escalation.

With two months left in office, lame-duck US President Biden made a major policy change that yields to a long-standing request from Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, now in its third year.

The new policy and Biden's pledge to speed up military aid to Ukraine come as the United States prepares for Trump to take over as president in January, having questioned US assistance throughout the war.

Trump has repeatedly promised to end the war, but has not provided details of how he would do so.

With Russia gaining ground and increasing talk of negotiations, Ukraine is wary of being at a disadvantage when it comes to hashing out a peace settlement.

Moscow has pledged an "appropriate" response if the US-supplied missiles are in fact used against Russia, and Trump's team accused Biden of escalating the war for political reasons.

At a daily briefing, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller accused Russia of escalation by accepting a deployment of North Korean soldiers to fight Ukrainian forces.

Miller noted that Biden, not Trump, was still the US president -- for now.

Biden's move, however, complicates things for Trump's incoming administration.

- 'A whole new war' -

"It's another step up the escalation ladder and nobody knows where this is going," Mike Waltz, Trump's choice to be national security adviser, told Fox News.

"No one anticipated that Joe Biden would ESCALATE the war in Ukraine during the transition period. This is as if he is launching a whole new war," Richard Grenell, who was acting Director of National Intelligence during Trump's first term, wrote on X.

"Everything has changed now -- all previous calculations are null and void. And all for politics," Grenell said.

For now, Grenell does not have a job in the incoming administration but his name had come up as a possible Secretary of State before Trump finally decided to go with Senator Marco Rubio.

Also weighing in was Donald Trump Jr., who wrote on X: "The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives."

Trump himself has not spoken publicly on Biden's change of heart regarding the long-range missiles.

"He is the only person who can bring both sides together in order to negotiate peace, and work towards ending the war and stopping the killing," said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.

- Race against time -

Ahead of Trump's return to power, Biden appears to be attempting to ringfence support for Ukraine.

And as the war hits 1,000 days, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will visit the US Congress on Tuesday seeking to drum up support.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has said he could end the war "in 24 hours" and has questioned the more than $60 billion in military aid that the United States has given Ukraine since the war started.

"How do we get both sides to the table to end this war? What's the framework for a deal and who is sitting at that table?" said Waltz.

"Those are the things that I and President Trump, of course, will be working with."

Shortly after his election victory on November 5 over Kamala Harris, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called the conversation "constructive."