Nearly half of IOF munitions used on Gaza are unguided: US assessment

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: CNN
14 Dec 2023 07:10
5 Shares

A new US intelligence assessment finds that approximately 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions employed by "Israel" in Gaza are unguided munitions.

A picture taken on December 12, 2023, shows Israeli occupation soldiers on a hill overlooking northern Gaza. (AFP)

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions used by "Israel" against the Strip are unguided, commonly referred to as "dumb bombs," CNN reported citing a new US intelligence assessment.

According to a recent intelligence assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, approximately 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions employed by "Israel" in Gaza fall into the category of unguided munitions, while the remainder are precision-guided.

Unguided munitions are generally less accurate and can pose a higher risk to civilians, particularly in densely populated areas like Gaza, the CNN report mentioned.

It is noteworthy that on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden harshly criticized Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government over the "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza.

The Financial Times reported that Biden has overtly and publically expressed concern that this was costing "Israel" its international support.

Since the war on Gaza started, Biden has offered muffled opinions on the strategies being utilized by "Israel" but simultaneously flooded the US lon-time ally with military aid and public support.

Last week, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "diplomatically" shielding its ally.

US lawmakers have been increasingly demanding imposing conditions on aid being sent to "Israel", linking the delivery of aid with the guaranteed protection of civilians in Gaza. The Biden administration, on its part, appears to have no intentions of enforcing these demands, a report by CNN detailed.

US officials told CNN that Washington has no plans to constrain military aid to "Israel", adding that they expect its allies to use US-manufactured and funded weapons and artillery within the frames of humanitarian international law and pointed out that the Israeli occupation military is already assisted by military lawyers that help determine whether a strike is launched within the law or not.