As Hamas Continues Rocket Attacks Targeting Israel, Additional Iron Dome Batteries Will Help Protect Civilians And Save Lives
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that the Department of Defense will transfer two Iron Dome batteries to Israel following their recent bipartisan push to get this done. These batteries are currently in possession of the United States and are not being used. Senators Rosen and Rounds recently led several Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in urging the Pentagon to take this action as Israel continues to face rocket and missile attacks from Hamas, and the increased threat of Hezbollah entering the conflict.
“Since their terrorist attack began nearly three weeks ago, Hamas has indiscriminately fired thousands of rockets into Israel,” said Senator Rosen. “The Iron Dome defense system is the only thing preventing Hamas’s rockets from killing countless innocent people. After the bipartisan push I led, I’m proud to announce the United States will transfer two additional Iron Dome batteries to Israel to help increase its capacity and ability to intercept Hamas’s rockets and protect Israeli families.”
“I am pleased to see that the Department of Defense is transferring these additional Iron Dome systems to Israel,” said Senator Rounds. “The United States must do everything we can to help our ally as they continue to defend their nation against terrorist attacks from Hamas. This is an important step in the right direction.”
Senator Rosen has been a strong leader in the fight to make sure Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself. While in Israel in the wake of the attacks, Senator Rosen, and the bipartisan delegation she was a part of, were forced to take shelter multiple times from Hamas rockets, experiencing just a small fraction of the danger that the Israeli people experience every day. Last year, she helped include a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 to authorize $500 million for the Iron Dome and other U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs. Senator Rosen also took to the Senate floor last Congress to request the Unanimous Consent of the Senate to immediately vote on legislation to provide $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome. This comes after she joined her colleagues in a bipartisan letter requesting full funding for U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs.
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