US ships tons of munitions and hardware to Israel

West Jerusalem must be prepared to resume attacks on Iran if necessary, Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned

The US has delivered 6,500 tons of munitions and equipment to Israel within 24 hours, West Jerusalem has said.

The announcement coincided with media reports claiming that the head of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, has briefed US President Donald Trump on a plan for the potential renewal of military action against Iran in a bid to pressure it to consent to a more favorable peace deal.

According to Fox News, what Cooper described as the “final blow” against Tehran could include a “short and powerful wave of strikes” targeting Iran’s “remaining military assets, leadership and infrastructure.”

The ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran was announced on April 8 after more than a month of fighting, but attempts by Washington and Tehran to reach a diplomatic settlement to the crisis have so far been in vain. The control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program reportedly remain the main stumbling blocks between the sides.

Read more

The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that two cargo ships docked at the country’s ports of Ashdod and Haifa had arrived with thousands of air and ground munitions, military trucks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) and other military equipment.

The hardware was loaded onto hundreds of trucks and moved to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases across the country, the statement read.

According to Defense Ministry data, Israel has already received over 115,600 tons of military equipment, via 403 airlifts and 10 sealifts since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28.

Semafor reported in mid-March, citing American officials, that Israel had informed the US that it was running “critically low” on air defense interceptors amid Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. The IDF rejected the claim.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that West Jerusalem supported Washington’s diplomatic efforts, but warned that it “may soon be required to act again” against Iran to make sure it will “not return to being a threat.”

READ MORE: Pentagon lowballing Iran war cost – CNN

The Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Aerospace Force Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, said the same day that Tehran will respond with “with painful, prolonged, and far-reaching strikes” if attacked again.