The State Department is planning to sell $8 billion in arms to Israel to help the country defend itself against Iran and its proxies, marking what will likely be the Biden administration’s last major weapons sale to the Jewish state.
The State Department “informally” notified Congress of the plan on Friday, the first day of its new session, Axios reported.
The deal still needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees.
The agency told Congress the deal is aimed at “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” a source told the outlet.
In other developments:
- The Israeli army demolished a Hamas “hideout and terror compound” in northern Gaza this week, the Israel Defense Forces announced. The “officer’s neighborhood” was rigged with tunnels, booby traps and rocket launchers aimed at the Jewish state.
- Israel ramped up airstrikes in southern Gaza while ceasefire talks resumed in Qatar. Approximately 40 Hamas meeting points and command centers were struck by the IDF in recent days, the military said on X.
- Hamas released a video indicating that Israeli hostage Liri Albag, 19, is still alive. Albag, an IDF surveillance soldier, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
- The IDF may extend its presence in south Lebanon beyond the 60 days outlined in its cease-fire agreement because the Lebanese Army is deploying slower than expected and not attacking Hezbollah targets, according to reports. The decision depends on whether Israel can “fulfill its goals of ensuring the end of [Hezbollah’s] ability to carry out a preemptive attack,” a US official reportedly told the Lebanese army
The new weapons package will include AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets; artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters; small diameter bombs; JDAM tail kits, which convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions; 500-pound warheads and bomb fuses.
Some of the supplies can be provided through current US stocks, but most of them will take at least a year to deliver, according to reports.
In August, the US approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. Another $680 million package for Israel was confirmed in November.
The US has spent an estimated $22 billion supporting Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, which killed more than 1,200 people, and sent over 50,000 tons of military equipment since then, according to reports.
“The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations,” a U.S. official told Axios, adding, “We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense.”
In recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis, based in Yemen, have stepped up missile attacks on Israel, sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis fleeing to bomb shelters in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, Hamas has continued firing rockets at Israel from north Gaza, while a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese terror outfit Hezbollah has held up for over a month.
With Post wires
