U.S. rushing bunker-busters to Israel

U.S. rushing bunker-busters to Israel

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, July 24, 2006
WASHINGTON — The United States has approved an Israeli request for "accelerated deliveries" of precision-guided air munitions to Israel.

Officials said the Bush administration approved an Israeli request for bunker-buster weapons days after the outbreak of the Hizbullah war on July 12. They said the Israel Air Force concluded that its heavy air strikes on Hizbullah strongholds around Lebanon have been ineffective.
Officials said the Israel Air Force failed to destroy Hizbullah headquarters in southern Beirut. On July 19, Israeli F-15I and F-16I fighters dropped 23 tons of munitions on Hizbullah's command and control bunker, but failed to destroy the hardened facility, Middle East Newsline reported.

"The administration and Congress already approved the PGM sale," an official said. "We're talking about accelerated deliveries."

On Monday, the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat said the U.S. Air Force would transfer the GBU-28 bunker-busters to Israel. The newspaper said the air force would take bombs stored in Central Command headquarters in Qatar.

In 2005, the administration approved an Israeli request for satellite and laser-guided air bombs used by the U.S. Air Force in the war against Iraq. The deal, meant to be led by prime contractor Raytheon, included as many as 100 GBU-28's.

The GBU-28 is a 5,000-pound laser-guided bomb intended to destroy concrete bunkers. This was Israel's first purchase of the GBU-28, meant for deployment on Israel's F-15I fleet.