US agrees to sell Israel bunker-busters

JERUSALEM (AP) - The U.S. has agreed to sell 1,000 buster-bunker bombs to Israel- a deal that could significantly improve Israel's ability to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities. Military experts say an Israeli strike would require bombs that could blast through underground bunkers where some of the Iranian nuclear facilities are located. Last week, the U.S. Defense Department notified Congress that it has agreed to sell Israel small diameter bombs that are capable of doing that. It wasn't clear from the defense department's announcement when the bombs would be delivered. Israel and the United States do not believe Iran's assertion that its nuclear program is to produce energy, not weapons. Israel hopes Iran can be induced through sanctions and diplomacy to scale back its nuclear ambitions, but has not ruled out a military strike.