The $14 billion in additional military aid for Israel requested by President Biden is intended to prepare Israel for a “multi-front war,” the Times of Israel . Not just for operations in Gaza.
This sum is part of the 95 billion in foreign military aid (Ukraine, Taiwan and others) authorized by the Senate, but not yet approved by the House of Representatives. Republican lawmakers want Biden to allocate significant funds for controlling the Mexican border before approving foreign military aid.
After Gaza, Lebanon
THE Washington Post cites U.S. officials who believe Netanyahu may view a war in Lebanon as a way to ensure his political survival. Polls show that a majority of Israelis want him to resign as soon as the conflict in Gaza ends.
Israel has intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon and is even threatening to invade the country if Hezbollah does not withdraw from the Israeli-Lebanese border. Netanyahu also seems to want to provoke Tehran. According to New York TimesIsraeli special services are believed to be responsible for the recent attack on two gas pipelines in Iran.
Although Iran has urged its Lebanese supporters not to escalate their attacks, the dangers of a wider conflict loom. Hezbollah has a much more deadly arsenal of missiles than Hamas. Israeli military intelligence estimates that two-thirds of Hezbollah’s approximately 200,000 missiles could reach populated areas in Israel.
Washington, Israel’s only ally
The additional military aid will be used to replenish the ammunition reserves that Israel has depleted in Gaza. The United States will also use it to replenish its own stockpile of munitions stored in Israel that the Israeli army was authorized by Biden to use in Gaza.
The Biden administration has been criticized in Congress for its attempts to hide details about its US arms supplies to Israel for use in Gaza, according to Amnesty International, against civilian targets.
Washington is counting on Israel to defend its interests in the Middle East. The military hegemony of Israel – the only country in the region to have nuclear weapons – ensures it a dominant geostrategic position.
Even in the United States, support for Israel is waning. According to a survey New York Times/Siena College, American voters largely disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the Hamas-Israel war. Young Americans are highly critical of Israel’s conduct and the administration’s attitude toward the war in Gaza.
The current conflict in Gaza is the first Israeli war in which Washington is truly a co-belligerent, a growing number of military analysts say. The United States is blocking calls for a ceasefire at the United Nations while providing critical military hardware and intelligence assistance to Israel.
From the start of the war on October 7, the United States deployed warships and aircraft carriers to the region, ready to provide assistance to Israel. The CIA created a special task force to provide intelligence to Israel to target Hamas leaders. The Pentagon also gave orders to prepare for deployment in Israel to 2,000 American troops in Iraq, according to documents obtained by the investigative site The Intercept.