The Joe Biden administration has provisionally approved an $8 billion arms sale to Israel in a last-minute demonstration of support for the U.S. president’s close ally after more than a year of war in Gaza.
The U.S. State Department announced the sale to Congress late on Friday through an informal notification, according to Financial Times (FT) sources. This step precedes a public announcement and requires approval from the Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees before implementation.
The arms package includes $6.75 billion worth of precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300 million worth of 155 mm artillery shells, $600 million worth of Hellfire missiles, and $300 million worth of Amraam air-to-air missiles, according to one source familiar with the matter.
Another source indicated that while some of the weapons would come directly from U.S. stockpiles, most deliveries would take a year or longer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu frequently accuses the United States of delaying arms and ammunition deliveries—claims the Biden administration denies.
In November, Netanyahu stated that he had agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon to allow Israeli forces to replenish their stockpiles. Around the same time, the Biden administration informally notified Congress of its intention to supply Israel with $680 million worth of precision weapons. This notification followed an unsuccessful attempt by some Democrats in Congress to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel last summer.
In April, Congress approved an additional $26 billion in war aid to Israel, supplementing the $3.8 billion in annual U.S. security assistance to the country.
