Key congressional leaders introduced legislation that would provide further assistance to the Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.
The Iron Dome Support Act introduced March 21 by House Foreign Affairs Comm-ittee ranking member Howard Berman (D-San Fernando Valley) would allow the president to authorize further assistance for the “procurement, maintenance and sustainment” of the Iron Dome system upon request by the Israeli government.
The measure was co-sponsored by the committee’s chairwoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). In addition, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee, and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), the subcommittee’s chairman, were among those who signed on as original co-sponsors.
The Iron Dome system intercepted a high percentage of Kassam rocket and Grad missile attacks fired recently by Palestinian terrorist groups from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The system was built with the assistance of a $205 million grant from the Obama administration. — jta