Washington Post: Israel working to produce heavy bombs, but dependence on U.S. remains strong

Israel is investing millions of dollars to produce bombs in Israel because of growing concerns about its dependence on arms imports from the United States and other Western countries, even as the flow of weapons from those countries continues mostly unabated.

But experts told The Washington Post that it is difficult to shake up Israel's reliance on the United States, especially as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

In light of Israel's ambition, the Defense Ministry announced last week that it had signed deals worth about $275 million for the production of heavy bombs, "This is a key lesson from the war that will allow the army to continue to operate with force everywhere," said Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir.

The newspaper notes that Israel chose to import heavy bombs from the United States – as well as advanced ammunition kits that can be used for precision – mainly for economic rather than technological reasons.

"Until recently, Israel refrained from producing certain weapons, mainly for profit reasons," Ephraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told the newspaper, "It is cheaper to buy them with the money given to Israel by the United States."

* Bihadrei Haredim contributed to this article.