Israel thanks US for 'record-breaking' missile defense aid
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman thanked the United States on Monday for including a "record-breaking" $705 million to aid the country's missile defense in the spending bill passed last week.
Lieberman said that the aid will be used for the development of Israel's multi-layered system, which is designed to shoot down short-range rockets from Gaza and Lebanon and counter long-range threats like that posed by Iran.
The US provides $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel each year under a 10-year security arrangement. The $705 million is a separate allocation, and is up from the $600 million provided for missile defense last year.
US President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill on Friday that provides billions in new funding for the military and national security.
