Barak Says U.S. to Give Israel Extra Aid for Anti-Rocket System

Israel's defense ministry said on Sunday that the United States has agreed to provide it with an additional 235 million dollars to finance its rocket defense system.

"The aid from the American Congress is a supplementary step in the reinforcement of Israeli-American relations in the area of defense," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement.

The additional funds come on top of the three billion dollars of annual military aid given by the U.S. to Israel.

This aid is entirely spent buying U.S. weapons, in accordance with the terms of a 10-year bilateral deal signed in 2007.

Last spring, Israel put in place its "Iron Dome" anti-rocket defense system, financed by the U.S., to protect areas in southern Israel that are fired on from the Gaza Strip.

While the anti-missile batteries deployed near the Palestinian territory have offered some protection, they do not intercept all the rockets fired.