Edited for brevity.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon were in attendance Thursday as the first two in a new fleet of U.S.-made warplanes arrived at a air base in the southern Negev desert. The two F-16I jets are part of the biggest military purchase - at $4.5 billion - in the history of state. All told, 102 jets are to be delivered by the decade’s end. The F-16Is would upgrade Israel’s advantage over Arab foes and extend its reach over much of Iran, whose atomic development program is seen by many in Israel as an existential threat, although Tehran denies having hostile designs. "We know full well that striving for peace in the Middle East demands demonstrable power... in areas close and far from Israel," Mofaz said at the ceremony. "What the [F-16I] is capable of doing increases the chance that there will be no need to use this capability."
That would be ’peace through superior firepower’ to you peaceniks. |