Israel Reassessing Security Situation And Expecting More US Military Aid After Iran Deal

Two days after the nuclear deal was reached between world powers and Iran, the defense establishment is expecting that the US military aid package to Israel will increase in the coming years.

Defense officials believe that certain aspects of the aid package may be strengthened, such as the inclusion of an additional squadron of F-35 fighter jets, extra funding for the development of defense systems and restocking munitions that the IDF is in great need of a year after Operation Protective Edge.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, who is considered a close friend of his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya'alon, is scheduled to arrive in Israel next week. Carter is expected to lay out a package of defense "benefits" on Ya'alon's table in order to ease the heightened tension between Washington and Jerusalem over the nuclear deal.

Carter will recite the usual speech in front of the cameras about Washington's commitment to Israel's security and then the two will meet face-to-face to discuss the consequences of the Iran nuclear deal.

The US currently sends some three billion dollars of security aid to Israel every year, but each year this budget is surpassed when other expenditures not included in the package are added in, such as special projects like the development of various defense and munitions systems.

If the Americans agree to increase the aid, or alternatively to provide a large grant, they will likely require assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to carry out a military operation without first informing Washington.

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http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran/Israel-reassessing-security-situation-and-expecting-more-US-military-aid-after-Iran-deal-409191