An Israeli report revealed, on Tuesday, that the United States of America rejects Israel’s request to obtain additional military fighter aircraft Apache.
The report came despite confirmation that the amount of US military aid provided to Israel since the outbreak of the war was limited Gaza On October 7, it rose to its highest level since the 1973 October War.
The Ynet news website, the online version of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that the Israeli army has requested Apache attack helicopters from the United States, but the request has so far been rejected.
He added: The request was submitted to the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) in recent weeks, and was also raised by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during his meetings with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Israel last week.
He continued: Security sources indicate that no final decision has been made regarding the potential acquisition, and that Israel continues to exert pressure.
The Hebrew website noted that the Israeli army attributed its request, saying that helicopters were needed to enhance its air operations.
Two squadrons of Apaches
The army explained in its request that it used its Apache attack helicopters in the Gaza Strip, and to carry out operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and to strike terrorist targets in the West Bank, according to the Hebrew website.
According to the Ynet website, the Israeli army has only two squadrons of Apache helicopters, namely Squadron 190 and Squadron 113, and they have been conducting operations around the clock in Gaza since the beginning of the war.
The site added: The headquarters of one of the two squadrons is at Ramon Airport in the south, and the other is in Ramat David in the north, and helicopters were deployed from the northern branch on the Gaza border on October 7 last year.
The website noted that the workload on the two squadrons is very high.
My operating schedule is busy
As such, the website indicated that Air Force Commander Brigadier General Tomar Parr was asked to recall retired pilots between the ages of 54 and 55 years old to return to active duty, even though they were over the acceptable minimum age for combat flights, which is 51 years old. Older pilots between the ages of 55 and 60 have also been recalled until operational positions on the ground are completed.
He noted that pilots who had previously left Israel to pursue their careers abroad also returned when the war began, mainly from the United States or the Near East, and after completing refresher courses, they were assigned to flying missions.
The website attributed this policy to the need to reduce the burden on reserve soldiers, their families, and the economy.
American aid is the largest since 1973
Despite indicating that Washington rejected an Israeli request to obtain additional Apache fighters, the Ynet website pointed out that American military aid provided to Tel Aviv since the outbreak of the war against Gaza has risen to the highest level since the Yom Kippur War (October) in 1973.
He said this aid includes aircraft, ships, thousands of weapons systems and munitions, such as tank shells, specialized aircraft bombs, drones, night vision equipment, radars, and even armored vehicles and ambulances.
The Hebrew website stated that these supplies were distributed to units operating on all fronts, including the West Bank, to effectively meet military demands.
He continued: These supplies were obtained from American warehouses in the Middle East, and without this assistance, the Israeli army would have faced challenges in the path of progress in the conflict and achieving one of its goals, which is deterrence.
The Ynet website noted that at the same time, the United States continued to pressure Israel to avoid an all-out war with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
He considered that Israel has so far yielded to these pressures from the United States and France, and has refrained from expanding the conflict to the north.
According to the Hebrew website, the Israeli submission comes despite Defense Minister Gallant’s calls to launch a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, which is seen as the main threat to Israel’s security.
The United States of America did not officially comment on this report.
230 cargo aircraft
On Monday, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that the United States had sent more than 230 cargo planes and 20 ships loaded with weapons to Israel since last October 7.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense says that the cost of the war so far amounts to 65 billion shekels ($17.5 billion), according to Hebrew media.
Washington is considered one of Tel Aviv’s staunchest supporters in its war against the Gaza Strip, which over the course of 81 days left 20,674 martyrs and 54,536 wounded, most of them children and women, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Strip authorities and the United Nations.
In addition to the arming process, the United States is obstructing any efforts in the UN Security Council that would achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel opposes.
