• Source:JND

Iran-Israel War: The United States has approved an 'emergency' sale of bomb casings to Israel as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate. The US State Department on Friday cleared the sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel while fighting between Israel and Iran intensifies.

Israeli warplanes launched fresh strikes on Beirut and Tehran on Friday, while Iran responded with another wave of retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries that host US military forces.

At present, there appears to be no immediate end in sight to the conflict. The administration of US President Donald Trump approved a new arms sale worth 151 million dollars to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran unless it agreed to "unconditional surrender".

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said the country would "take all necessary measures" to defend itself, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The deal includes the sale of 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bomb casings, valued at an estimated 151.8 million dollars. The sale was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

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"The proposed sale will improve Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats," the bureau said in an official statement.

According to the statement, the deal will also include engineering, logistics and technical support services provided by the US government and private contractors.

In a social media post on Friday, President Donald Trump said major American defence companies had agreed to significantly ramp up the production of advanced weapons. His remarks came about a week after the United States and Israel first launched coordinated strikes on Iran.

"The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defence articles and defence services is in the national security interests of the United States," the State Department said, citing the Arms Export Control Act.

Videos circulating online showed explosions lighting up the sky and thick smoke rising over western Tehran after Israel said it had launched a wide wave of strikes. Early on Saturday, the Israeli military said it was moving to intercept another barrage of missiles fired from Iran.

The United States and Israel have carried out multiple strikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, leadership and nuclear programme.

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Meanwhile, Russia has reportedly provided Iran with information that could help Tehran target US military forces, according to AP citing two officials familiar with US intelligence. The development comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, during which he expressed condolences over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin said.


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