Israel skips US approval to ink defense deal with NATO as Netanyahu vows to become 'independent'

Israel has signed one of the biggest defence export deals in its history—without needing a greenlight from Washington. Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has inked a 2.3‑billion‑dollar agreement with a NATO member to supply SPYDER air defence systems, a fully Israeli‑developed platform based on Python and Derby missiles. What makes this deal politically explosive is what it bypasses.