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According to Axios, the State Department “informally” notified Congress about a proposed $8 billion deal with Israel, which would include ammunition for fighter jets and attack helicopters, as well as artillery shells.
Axios reported this, citing informed sources.
The publication notes that this will likely be the last weapons sale to Israel approved by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.
The deal is discussed amidst statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters that Biden has imposed a silent “weapons supply embargo” on Israel.
Some Democrats have insisted that the administration tie arms sales to Israel to how Israel conducts military operations and addresses the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but Biden refused to do so.
According to the sources, this deal is long-term. Part of the production and supply of ammunition can be carried out using existing U.S. stockpiles, but the delivery of the majority will require one or more years.
Additionally, sources reported that the weapons sale, which must be approved by the Foreign Affairs Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate, includes:
- AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to protect against aerial threats, including drones;
- Artillery shells;
- Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters;
- Small-diameter guided bombs, JDAM kits to convert unguided bombs into precision-guided ones, 500-pound warheads, and bomb fuses.
A source familiar with the arms sale deal reported that the State Department told Congress that the deal aims to “support Israel’s long-term security by replenishing stocks of critical munitions and air defense systems.”
“The President has made it clear that Israel has the right to defend its citizens in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, as well as to deter aggression from Iran and its proxies. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” the publication quotes the direct statement of a U.S. official.
Earlier, the United States in the fall told Israel that within the next month it must take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on American military aid, U.S. officials said.
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