White House denies Israel aid at risk

Washington, Mar 2: The White House on Tuesday denied it will curb US aid to Israel in response to a bitter fight over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to scuttle landmark negotiations with Iran.

As Netanyahu visited Washington to make the case against a looming deal with Tehran -- President Barack Obama's top foreign policy goal -- the White House sought to quell reports that vast US military aid could be cut as a result.

Israeli media has suggested the Obama administration could trim some of the roughly $100 billion in existing aid and drag its feet on requests for more help with programs like the Magic Wand missile intercept system and the Arrow 3 weapon.

"The report is false" said National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan.

Obama has refused to meet Netanyahu during his visit the US capital. Netanyahu has portrayed the split as a family disagreement, but stressed Israel's right to act in its own interests.

AFP