US declares support for both Israel and Ukraine
(Baonghean.vn) - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the US maintains its commitment to continue supporting both Ukraine and Israel, and can "deploy strength" on multiple fronts at the same time.
“The United States is the most powerful nation in the world. And we are still fully capable of projecting power, maintaining our commitments, and directing resources across multiple fronts,” the Pentagon chief said at a news conference in Israel. “So we will stand with Israel even if we are standing with Ukraine. America can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Secretary Austin stressed that US military aid would “flow into Israel at the speed of war.” This would include “munitions, air defense capabilities, and other critical equipment and resources,” specifically missiles for the Iron Dome air defense system that Israel uses to counter the less sophisticated homemade unguided rockets used by Hamas.
Although Washington has repeatedly given public assurances that it can support both Israel and Ukraine without favoring either side or compromising its own security, some media reports suggest that the reality may be different. For example, CNN quoted multiple US officials as saying that the Pentagon had previously used some of its artillery ammunition stocks from Israel to support Ukraine.
Ukraine and Israel currently “require different types of weapons”, but if Israel were to actually launch a large-scale ground operation against Hamas, it would need NATO-standard 155mm artillery shells, but these stocks are currently “depleted” due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The escalation between Israel and Hamas began last Saturday, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack into southern Israel, violating the border with the Gaza Strip in multiple locations. Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians and wounding thousands on both sides./.
