Washington Faces Challenges in Supplying Weapons to Israel and Ukraine

The American magazine Newsweek reported that the United States is facing a dilemma on how to supply weapons to two escalating wars: one involving the Israeli occupation and the other in Ukraine.

The report highlighted that Washington has become the largest donor of military aid to Kyiv, stressing that the U.S. is also facing increasing costs to support Israel in the Middle East.

According to Newsweek, this situation raises questions about whether Washington’s efforts to fill the gaps in Israeli defenses against Iran and its allies in the resistance axis will come at a cost to its support for Ukraine.

Dana Stroul, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs, stated that Washington “cannot continue to supply Ukraine and Israel with weapons at the same pace,” warning of an approaching “turning point.”

Last Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson, Pat Ryder, confirmed that American soldiers arrived in the Israeli occupation state on Monday to operate the U.S. THAAD missile defense system.

Ryder pointed out that more U.S. military personnel and components of the high-altitude missile defense system battery will continue to arrive over the coming days.

He noted that the system would be “fully operational in the near future, but due to security concerns related to operations, we will not discuss the timelines.”

On another front, the Axios website reported statements from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging Israel to take immediate steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza to avoid legal implications related to U.S. military aid.

The website indicated that in a letter dated October 13th to their Israeli counterparts, the two American officials stated: “We are writing to emphasize the deep concern within the U.S. government regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and we seek urgent and sustainable actions from your government this month to change this course.”

The letter from the two secretaries cited Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits the provision of military assistance to countries that obstruct the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid.

Additionally, the letter referenced a National Security Memorandum issued by U.S. President Joe Biden in February, which mandates the State Department to report to Congress on whether it finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of American weapons does not violate U.S. or international law.