Israeli, US defense chiefs conclude arms deal

The Israeli and U.S. defense chiefs on Monday announced 10 billion U.S. dollars' sale of U.S. arms aimed at ensuring the Jewish state's military superiority in the Middle East amid the region's growing unrest.

Reiterating his country's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the deal included the supply of anti-radiation missiles and advanced radars for fighter jets, KC-135 refueling aircraft and V-22 Osprey troop and cargo transport planes.

"We took another significant step in the U.S.-Israel defense relationship," Hagel said at a joint news conference with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon in Tel Aviv, adding that the new arms would ensure Israel's capability to preserve its air superiority in the coming decades.

The V-22, which to date has not been sold to any foreign country, will provide the Israeli Air Force with long-range, high- speed capabilities "to deal with a number of threats and contingencies," Hagel said.

The Pentagon chief arrived in Israel on Sunday on the first leg of his week-long Middle East tour that includes stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It is also Hagel's first official visit to the country since entering his post earlier this year, and Iran's nuclear program topped the agenda of his meetings with Israeli leaders, as well as Syria's civil war and other regional issues.

In remarks to reporters on his flight from Washington overnight Sunday, Hagel said the arms sale to Israel was "a clear message" to Iran, which poses "a threat, a real threat."

He underscored that Israel's right to exercise its right to self-defense against Iran's nuclear drive, echoing comments made by U.S. President Barack Obama, who said during his visit here last month that Israel has the right "to defend itself, by itself. "

"In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table," said Hagel, who in the past stated that he saw "no viable, feasible" military option against Tehran.

Asked whether Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities on its own, Hagel said that Israel is a sovereign nation and "every sovereign nation has a right to defend itself."

Ya'alon, for his part, said that while Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue, its strategy regarding Iran is that its military nuclear project "must be stopped."

"We believe that the military option (to curb Iran's nuclear program) should be a means of last resort... But without a credible military option, there is no chance that the Iran regime will stop it" on its own," said Ya'alon.

Turning to the ongoing civil war in Syria, Ya'alon said that Israel has drawn "very clear red lines" to the administration of President Bashar Assad, the first of which is that it won't allow the delivery of advanced weapons to "rogue elements" like Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah and global jihadists who have joined the Syrian insurgency.

"And we proved it. When they crossed this red line we operated, we acted," said Ya'alon, alluding to Israel's alleged involvement in an airstrike in late January that targeted a convoy on the Syria-Lebanon border carrying anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah.

Regarding Israel's growing concerns about Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons, Ya'alon said that attempts to deliver such weapons into the hands of Hezbollah or other militant groups would constitute the crossing of a red line that would warrant Israeli military action.

Asked about conflicting assessments by different governments about whether or not the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians, Hagel said that intelligence agencies in both Israel and the United States are currently assessing "what happened, what did not happen" and warned that "the use of chemical weapons would be a game changer."

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