Israel Has “Not Received” What It Needs

Last week, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Washington to discuss expediting delivery of U.S. weapons. The same week, despite reports that the Biden administration authorized some weapons transfers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown acknowledged that Israel has “not received everything they’ve asked for,” in part because U.S. leaders are “not willing to provide” some weapons to Israel “right now, in particular.”

Continued and timely U.S. arms supply to Israel, particularly the advanced capabilities Gallant reportedly requested such as precision-guided munitions, F-15s, and F-35s, and other needs including Apache helicopters and KC-46A aerial refueling tankers, are vital to defeating Hamas as well as deterring or, if need be, responding to, attacks by Hezbollah, other Iranian proxies, and Iran itself. Ensuring Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) over its enemies is a key U.S. strategic interest, both to deal a blow to Iran’s “ring of fire” web of proxies and to demonstrate, to friends and adversaries alike, that the United States stands by its partners.