Israel "asks" US for bunker-buster bombs, refueling aircraft
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "requested" the United States to "sell" GBU-28 bunker-buster bombs and advanced refueling aircraft to Israel, reports say.
A top US official said on Tuesday that Netanyahu made the request during a Monday meeting with the US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in Washington. The American official said that US President Barack Obama ordered Panetta to work directly with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the issue, indicating that the US government was inclined to approve the request soon. The US refused to sell bunker-buster bombs and refueling aircraft to Israel during the presidency of George W. Bush, as it estimated that Israel would use them to strike Iran's nuclear energy facilities. Washington provides Tel Aviv with nearly 3 billion dollars in military aid each year.
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