This photo shows Israeli troops and tanks deployed near the border with the Gaza Strip on July 8, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Washington, July 9 (RHC)-- The United States is undertaking a significant military construction program in Israel, involving projects worth over $1.5 billion, all financed through American aid provided to Tel Aviv, new documents reveal.
The extensive initiative encompasses the building of airbase runways, helicopter hangars, ammunition storage facilities, and command centers, in addition to establishing a headquarters for the Israeli military's Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, according to newly released documents from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as reported by Haaretz.
The project is being funded through military assistance as part of the $3.8 billion annual aid package established in 2016 during Barack Obama’s presidency. The U.S. military assistance is also financing enhancements to support Israel’s recently acquired CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters and KC-46 Pegasus refueling planes, according to the report.
At one point, contractors were informed that the $900 million tender would finance facilities associated with Israel's increased fleets of F-15IA and F-35 fighter aircraft.
While tenders are officially awarded to American companies, most of the construction tasks are contracted out to Israeli firms. According to documents and presentations from the U.S. Army Corps, there are over 20 individual projects either in progress or scheduled for the future. Many are thought to be operating under assumed identities to conceal their precise locations.
The current projects total more than $250 million, with future ones expected to exceed $1 billion. The extent of Washington’s spending spree in Israel indicates a significant, enduring military involvement despite US officials’ claims that the aid serves mutual security.
The surge in spending also conflicts with increasing calls in the US for ending arms sales to Israel due to its current war on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 57,000 Palestinians.
The projects reported on Monday were planned before the recent 12-day aggression by Israel against Iran, during which the occupying regime suffered heavy blows at the hands of Iranian armed forces.
On June 13th, the Israeli regime launched an unlawful aggression against Iran, leading to the assassination of many senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary citizens. Iran retaliated in less than 24 hours with a barrage of missiles and drones and followed it up with a series of retaliatory operations under True Promise III.
On Tuesday, an Israeli military official confirmed that Iranian airstrikes hit certain Israeli military sites in the occupied territories during the 12-day war, marking the first public acknowledgment that such locations were struck.
The British daily Telegraph also reported on Saturday that satellite imagery analyzed by researchers at Oregon State University suggested that Iranian missiles struck five Israeli military facilities.
On Sunday, Israeli lawmakers visited the ruins of the renowned military-affiliated Weizmann Institute of Science, wrecked by Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes on the occupied territories.
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV and AFP ]
