The Reagan Administration today announced that it was lifting the suspension of deliveries of warplanes to Israel. Secretary of State Alexander Haig made the announcement after meeting here with President Reagan and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. He did not, however, indicate when the U.S. would resume shipping the planes.
Haig said that the cease-fire across the Israeli-Lebanese border has brought a “positive new element” to the Middle East situation. Noting this and talks with Premier Menachem Begin and Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Evron, Haig declared, “The President has lifted the suspension of military aircraft deliveries to Israel. ” Haig said at a news conference that the President’s decision to resume deliveries of F-16 and F-15 fighter-bombers to Israel was not linked to the scheduled visit by Begin to Washington in September.
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