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.

Israel conducted an airstrike followed by a landing operation in the Safira district, located in the south-east of Syria’s Aleppo province.

The operation began with intense airstrikes targeting the Safira region, which houses Syrian defense industry facilities and a military research center. Simultaneously, Israel expanded its military activities in the south, coinciding with the collapse of the Assad regime. According to an AA news report citing local sources, Israel specifically targeted an air defense base and Warehouse 404. Preliminary reports indicate that approximately ten airstrikes resulted in casualties, with both deaths and injuries reported in the area.

In the hours following the airstrikes, Israeli forces conducted a landing operation using aircraft. This led to clashes between Israeli soldiers and armed groups in the region.

These attacks are part of a broader escalation by the Israeli military, which intensified following the collapse of Syria’s 61-year Baathist rule on 8 December. The escalation began with clashes on 27 November. Since then, the Israeli army has focused on dismantling military infrastructure and facilities abandoned by the Syrian army, while also expanding its occupation of the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory.

The Israeli military has advanced beyond the buffer zone surrounding the Golan Heights, moving as close as 25 kilometers to the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Israel has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967. The 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria established the borders of a buffer zone and a demilitarized area, but recent actions suggest a significant shift in the status quo.

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced the execution of six Iranians for attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. In response, Tehran issued a formal note to Riyadh.

According to Saudi Arabia’s official news agency, SPA, the Ministry of Interior released a statement identifying the executed individuals as Jasim Mohammad Shabani, Abdelreza Yunous Tenkasiri, Khalil Shahid Samri, Mohammad Javad Abdeljalil, Mahdi Kenan Ghani, and Khor Mohammad Shabani. The statement detailed that these Iranian citizens were apprehended, convicted by the court, and subsequently sentenced to death.

The Ministry emphasized that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia carried out the court’s decision, executing the convicted individuals.

In response, Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported that the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi Ambassador to Tehran, Abdallah bin Saud Al-Anazi, and delivered a strongly worded note of protest against the executions.