By IANS,
Washington : The US will give $70 million to help boost Israel’s air defence capabilities to thwart rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
“I was pleased to inform (Israeli Defence) Minister (Ehud) Barak that (US) President (Barack Obama) supports Israel’s Iron Dome (air defence) system and directed me to fill the $70 million in assistance for Iron Dome,” US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said.
The US support for Israel’s air defence system demonstrates that “the level of security cooperation between the United States and Israel has never been stronger,” Panetta said in a statement, issued after his talks with Barak at the Pentagon.
The US defence chief promised that Washington is open to providing further funding to the Iron Dome system in the next three years, “based on annual assessment of Israeli security requirements against an evolving threat,” Xinhua reported.