 |
| Bunker Busting Bombs |
WASHINGTON:According to US officials quoted in Newyork TImes, The Obama administration has quietly supplied Israel with bunker buster bombs capable of destroying buried targets, perhaps sites in Iran suspected of being part of that nation’s nuclear weapons program.
The administration’s transfer of bunker-busting bombs, first reported in an online article by Newsweek, began in 2009. American officials who confirmed the shipments spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
They declined to comment on the number of bombs that had been supplied to Israel or on their capabilities.
Israel had sought this class of weapons for many years.
In 2005, the Bush administration notified Congress of a pending transfer to Israel of bombs designed to destroy buried targets.
There were deep concerns that if the United States supplied bunker-busting bombs to Israel, will be viewed as having tacitly endorsed an attack on Iran.
The issue is so sensitive that Israeli military officials asked the United States not to release documentation of the arms transfers, even if requested under the Freedom of Information Act, according to American officials
