Congress Approves Record Sum for Missile Defense

YERUSHALAYIM
An Iron Dome anti-missile battery on a mountain near the Northern Israeli city of Tzfat, February 14. (David Cohen/Flash90)

The U.S. Congress has approved a $705 million funding package for Israel’s missile defense systems, the largest such allocation in the history of military aid to Israel.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday expressed his appreciation for the funding, saying:

“I am happy and excited to relay that the U.S. Congress approved a record sum for the Israeli missile defense program: $705 million in the year 2018. That is the highest aid budget ever. We will use the money for mass production of the Iron Dome, Magic Wand, and Arrow 3 interceptors and to continue to develop the multi-layer defense system against future threats.”

“I thank our great friend the United States of America, which until now has invested $6.5 billion in protecting the skies of Israel,” Liberman continued. “We are grateful for the aid and the uncompromising commitment by the administration and Congress to Israel’s security.”

The mult-tiered Air defense system, which is designed to protect Israel against short, middle and long-range missiles, is developed jointly by Israel’s Rafael and America’s Raytheon defense contractors.

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