President Biden's $14 billion in additional military aid to Israel is intended to prepare Israel for a “multi-front war.” Times of Israel . Not just for operations in Gaza.
This sum is part of the 95 billion in foreign military aid (Ukraine, Taiwan and others) approved by the Senate but not yet approved by the House of Representatives. Republican lawmakers want Biden to allocate significant funding to control the Mexican border before approving foreign military aid.
To Gaza Lebanon
The Washington Post quotes US officials as believing that Netanyahu could see a war in Lebanon as a way to ensure his political survival. Polls show a majority of Israelis want him to step down once the conflict in Gaza ends.
Israel has increased its airstrikes in Lebanon and is even threatening to invade the country if Hezbollah does not withdraw from the Israel-Lebanese border. Netanyahu also seems to want to provoke Tehran. According to the New York Times, Israeli intelligence services are responsible for the recent attack on two gas pipelines in Iran.
Although Iran has urged its Lebanese supporters not to escalate their attacks, the dangers of a wider conflict loom. Hezbollah has a much deadlier rocket arsenal than Hamas. Israeli military intelligence estimates that two-thirds of Hezbollah's approximately 200,000 rockets could reach populated areas in Israel.
Washington, Israel's only ally
The additional military aid is intended to replenish the ammunition reserves that Israel has used up in Gaza. The United States will also use it to replenish its own stockpiles of ammunition stored in Israel, which Biden has authorized the Israeli army to use in Gaza.
The Biden administration has been criticized in Congress for trying to hide details about its US arms sales to Israel, which Amnesty International said are being used against civilian targets in Gaza.
Washington is counting on Israel to defend its interests in the Middle East. The military hegemony of Israel – the only country in the region with nuclear weapons – ensures it a dominant geostrategic position.
Even in the United States, support for Israel is waning. American voters largely disapprove of President Biden's handling of the Hamas-Israel war, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. Young Americans are highly critical of Israel's behavior and the government's stance toward the war in Gaza.
The current conflict in Gaza is the first Israeli war in which Washington is actually a participant, more and more military analysts say. The United States is blocking calls for a ceasefire at the United Nations while providing key military equipment and intelligence assistance to Israel.
Since the war began on October 7, the United States has deployed warships and aircraft carriers to the region to aid Israel. The CIA has set up a special task force to provide intelligence to Israel to target Hamas leaders. The Pentagon also ordered 2,000 U.S. troops in Iraq to prepare for deployment to Israel, according to documents obtained by investigative site The Intercept.