US:The United States sealed a deal yesterday to provide Israel with $30 billion (€22.4 billion) in defence grants over the next decade, a 25 per cent boost that Washington describes as strengthening a regional bulwark against Iran.
At a ceremony in Jerusalem, US undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns said the US would help Israel maintain a military advantage over foes ranging from Iran and Syria to their proxies in Lebanon and Palestinian territories.
"There is no question that, from an American point of view, the Middle East is a more dangerous region now even than it was 10 or 20 years ago and that Israel is facing a growing threat. It's immediate and it's also long-term.
"The United States faces many of the same threats from the same organisations and countries as Israel does, and so we felt this was the right level of assistance," Mr Burns told reporters.
The Bush administration said last month it would also offer weapons worth $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and other allied Gulf states. Egypt stands to get $13 billion in defence assistance over the next decade, similar to present levels.
The package awaits approval in the US Congress.