Region | Palestinian Territories
Israel arms sales peak despite Lebanon war fallout
Israel's defence exports hit record levels in 2006, despite predictions they would be affected by the Israeli military's tactical setbacks during its war in Lebanon.
- Agencies
- Published: 00:00 December 17, 2006
Occupied Jerusalem: Israel's defence exports hit record levels in 2006, despite predictions they would be affected by the Israeli military's tactical setbacks during its war in Lebanon.
Foreign analysts said the month-long offensive risked tainting the "battle-proven" reputation of Israeli weaponry.
Intense scrutiny fell on Israeli air force systems such as technology designed to reduce the time taken for warplanes or helicopter gunships to detect and attack threats on the ground.
Despite this, Israel's Defence Ministry said that by the end of November arms firms had sealed $4.1 billion in new foreign orders for 2006, surpassing the previous peak of $4.02 billion reached in the same period in 2002.
Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Naidek-Ashkenazi said that although final 2006 figures would not be available until next year, she expected the upswing in sales to continue through December.
She acknowledged that international defence deals often take years to put together and the impact of the Lebanon war on Israeli clients might not yet have been felt.
However, she added, "We expect the pattern of increased sales to continue, unaffected by the recent campaign in Lebanon. Clients are prudent. They know they can trust battle-proven experience, and they go to the trouble of finding out the facts."
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