The U.S. is working quickly to provide Israel with the capabilities it needs to defend itself and bolster its security after an unprecedented attack from the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
At the top of the list for Israel is air defense munitions for its Iron Dome missile defense system, which consists of advanced radar and tracking technology and a group of batteries that fire projectiles to take out incoming rockets.
The Pentagon is rapidly sending those air defense munitions to Israel, using available money and resources for the aid.
President Biden said the U.S. is “going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.”
“In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel,” Biden said in an address this week. “And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said additional, emergency munitions began arriving on Tuesday, just four days after Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
The Biden administration is also helping in another way: deterring nations and militant groups hostile to Israel from intervening in the war with Hamas.
This week, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, boasting eight squadrons of aircraft, a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser and four Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers.
That may help to prevent the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah from intervening, as fighters have traded fire with Israeli soldiers in northern Israel this week.
Gen. Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday at a defense meeting for Ukraine in Brussels, Belgium, the U.S. presence was a strong show of support for Israel that will “deter future action.”
“The joint force continues to work with our Israeli defense force counterparts at multiple levels to ensure they have the means and capabilities to defend themselves and deter future aggression,” he said.
The U.S. is also providing intelligence to Israel through a few special forces teams in the country. They are not, at this time, assisting with the recovery of the roughly 150 hostages taken by Hamas.
Early Saturday morning, Hamas invaded southern Israel in a surprise attack, breaching the border with bulldozers and paragliders before they killed Israeli civilians and soldiers.
In response, Israel declared war. As of Thursday, it has mostly reclaimed its territory in the south and is conducting massive air strikes on Gaza, the coastal enclave run by Hamas.
But Israel is preparing for a long war and may have to launch a ground offensive in Gaza to clear out Hamas. It could prove complicated, as Palestinian militants work from an underground network of tunnels.
The U.S. provides about $3 billion to Israel every year, but Congress may need to provide an emergency aid package to bolster Israeli capabilities. Biden has hinted he will ask lawmakers for help.
“When Congress returns, we’re going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners,” the president said in his address.