House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged "ironclad" support on the part of the US to Israel as she spoke to the country's parliament, the Knesset. She namely expressed hope that the US Senate will approve the legislation to fund the restocking of the country's Iron Dome air defences in the near future.
"We're hoping to get that done very soon in the Senate", she said.
She went on to promise Israel support in other spheres of its defence, namely against Iran – Tel Aviv's arch-enemy. Pelosi slammed Iran's nuclear programme as a "global threat" even though Tehran has repeatedly assured world leaders that it does not seek to build nukes.
"We are together in the fight against terrorism posed by Iran, both in the region and also its nuclear development", Pelosi said.
Brief Revolt in US House Over Iron Dome Funding
Israel's Iron Dome short-range air defence system endured an enormous stress test last May after Gaza-based militant groups launched thousands of rockets towards Israel in a matter of weeks. Iron Dome deflected most of the projectiles, but its reserves of interceptor missiles dipped drastically, requiring expensive resupply in order to be ready for another such attack.
That's where the US Congress decided to step in by including a $1 billion spending measure into stopgap funding legislation. However, some members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party revolted against it, refusing to back the stopgap bill over Israel's "oppression" of Palestinians. The measure later made it into a separate bill, which the US House successfully passed on 24 September with little opposition.
"Passage of this bill reflects the great unity in Congress [...] for Israel's security. Assistance to Israel is vital because Israel's security is an imperative for America's security", US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at the time of the bill's passing.