Military

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release

            Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:

“Secretary Panetta spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak today and reiterated the strong U.S. commitment to Israel's security and the strong U.S.-Israel defense relationship.

“The secretary commended Israel on the ceasefire reached today. He expressed his hope that no further rockets will be fired from Gaza, and committed to continuing to work together to address the issue of the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

“Minister Barak thanked Secretary Panetta and the Obama Administration for U.S. support of the Iron Dome counter-rocket system. The system intercepted over 85 percent of rockets fired at Israeli civilians and provided decision space for Israel to achieve its strategic goals without forcing further military actions.

Secretary Panetta stated how impressed he is by the Iron Dome system and looks forward to continuing to support the system for the benefit of Israel's security.”

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15700