Haaretz

The first permanent U.S. military base in Israel was dedicated on Monday.

A few dozen American soldiers will live and work on the base, situated inside the school of the Aerial Defense Division of the Israel Air Force, in the Negev. High-ranking U.S. officers attended the dedication ceremony.

Brig. Gen. Zvi Haimovich, the commander of the division, said the new base reflects the close military cooperation between Israel and the United States. He declined to elaborate on the exact activities of the American soldiers, but said, “The base is here to stay. It involved a significant allocation of resources, in the understanding that this was right and necessary and part of the United States’ assets in Israel.”

He was evidently referring to the U.S. soldiers who have been operating the X-Band radar system that the United States deployed in the Negev in 2009. The powerful system, which can detect missile launches from a distance of hundreds of kilometers away, was part of U.S. efforts to improve Israel’s defensive capabilities in the face of the growing threat from Iran.

Last week the Aerial Defense Division opened an additional Iron Dome anti-missile battalion. During the 2014 war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel deployed 10 Iron Dome batteries to intercept Hamas rockets, but this was an emergency deployment that required calling up reserve troops. Usually, a smaller number of batteries are operational at any given time.

The IDF plans to increase the number of Iron Dome batteries, while bringing in the medium-range missile defense system David’s Sling.

9 thoughts on “U.S. Opens First Permanent Military Base in Israel”
  1. It takes 120 men (or women) to operate the system so a “few dozen” is actually a bit of a “fib” trying to play down the fact that the US will not let IDF soldiers control the radar system.
    Now they have had to open a permanent base for US military personnel involved.

  2. Israel is No ally,just ask the sailors of the USS Liberty,those troops better watch their backs..

  3. “Brig. Gen. Zvi Haimovich, the commander of the division…”
    Well, what does that tell you about the ‘Murkah’s first military base in Isreal? Enough, I would say. If the military base is under the command of a Jew, then clearly it’s a Jewish base, not an American one. Who ordered it? Only one authority I can think of … The Owners … namely … The Rotshites.
    Meanwhile … “U.S. President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that he wants to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and that he still believes doing so is possible.”
    Of course Trump doesn’t believe for a second that a ‘peace deal’ is possible. So what’s the game? Under whose authority is he acting?
    Oh yes I’m the great pretender (ooh ooh)
    Pretending I’m doing well (ooh ooh)
    My need is such I pretend too much
    I’m lonely but no one can tell
    Oh yes I’m the great pretender (ooh ooh)
    Adrift in a world of my own (ooh ooh)
    I play the game but to my real shame
    You’ve left me to dream all alone

  4. So have U.S. soldiers been there operating the X-Band radar system since 2009? If yes, is the news that these men will be staying in the Negev permanently?
    And yes, they’d better watch their backs.

  5. James Benn…Ah, “The Great Pretender” I remember it well and very appropriate. The only problem is: we’re both dating ourselves. 😂

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