US Defence Chief Seeks To Reassure Israel On Military Aid [View all]

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Source: Channel News Asia

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon's new chief held talks with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday and pledged to ensure US budget cuts have no effect on funding for military assistance to the Jewish state, officials said.

In his first meeting with a foreign counterpart as the newly minted US defence secretary, Hagel chose to host Barak after facing allegations from some senators that he was too tough on Israel and naive in his views on Iran.

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"Secretary Hagel expressed his strong commitment to Israel's security, including maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge and continued US support for missile and rocket defence systems in spite of fiscal constraints," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

Hagel "is committed to working with members of Congress to ensure that there is no interruption of funding for Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling rocket and missile defence systems, despite the fiscal uncertainty due to congressional inaction" on the automatic budget cuts and a proposed defence budget, said a defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.



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