US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel headed to Israel on Sunday in a
weeklong trip to the Middle East that will be dominated by worries over Iran’s nuclear program and Syria’s raging civil war.
In
his first trip to the region since taking over as Pentagon chief nearly
two months ago, Hagel planned to discuss with his counterparts the
final details of an elaborate $10 billion arms deal that will provide US
military aircraft and missiles to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates.
In a two-day visit to Israel, Hagel will seek to
counter criticism from some US lawmakers and pro-Israel groups that he
is too soft on Iran and too hostile to the Jewish state — a charge he
has vehemently rejected.
Hagel will likely tout the arms deal as a
demonstration of Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security and as a
way of countering Iran’s military power and nuclear ambitions.
The
United States and Israel have disagreed over the urgency of the threat
posed by Iran’s nuclear program, with Washington maintaining there is
still time to see if tough sanctions and diplomacy persuade Tehran to
change course.
Hagel is due to tour the Yad Vashem Holocaust
memorial in Jerusalem and meet Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon,
President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, officials
said.
His trip to Israel comes a month after President Barack
Obama visited Jerusalem and reaffirmed US backing of Israel while
promoting fresh attempts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
After Israel, Hagel will travel on to Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Under
the unusual US arms package announced Friday, which was negotiated
simultaneously with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the United States
plans to sell advanced missiles to the Saudis and more than two dozen F-16 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates.
With
the Gulf states anxious over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, the
Pentagon has agreed to billions of dollars of arms sales designed to
bolster the Arab nations’ air power and missile defenses.
Hagel’s
visit coincides with growing suspicions that Syria may have used
chemical weapons in its fight against opposition forces. Both Britain
and France have submitted evidence to the United Nations alleging the
regime fired chemical agents.
US intelligence agencies are taking
the reports seriously but have to verify if the Syrian government
employed some its deadly chemical arsenal, officials say.
The US
administration, reluctant to provide arms to the Syrian rebels, has made
clear its skeptical view of military intervention. Obama however has
warned the Damascus regime that resorting to chemical weapons would
constitute a “red line.”
Hagel announced last week that he had
ordered more US troops to Jordan to help prepare for a range of
scenarios in Syria, including securing chemical weapons or handling a
spillover of violence from the conflict.
The deployment of a US Army headquarters element brought the American military’s presence in Jordan to more than 200.
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