- The U.S. and Israel’s military cooperation remains a cornerstone of their partnership, ensuring that Israel remains equipped to address the ever-evolving security challenges it faces.
U.S. Plans $8 Billion Sale of Arms, Including Bombs, to Israel
January 4, 2025
Flash News: US Trump administration proposes $1 billion arms sale to Israel including bombs and bulldozers
- The sale includes a variety of munitions and heavy equipment, specifically: 4,500 BLU-110 precision-guided bombs, 200 Mk 83 1,000-pound bombs, and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, with the munitions valued at $700 million and the bulldozers at $300 million.
- Congress has a 30-day period in which it can raise objections to the sale.
- However, given the long-standing and strategic relationship between the U.S. and Israel, such objections are unlikely to delay the sale significantly.
- Israel faces an increasingly volatile security environment, particularly due to Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.
- The U.S. sees Israel as a key partner in countering Iran's destabilizing activities, which include supporting various militant groups across the region.
- The weapons offered in this sale will provide Israel with additional resources to bolster its defense and maintain its military superiority, which is critical in an area where Israel faces threats from multiple fronts.
Trusted Content Directly from Israel | TBN Israel
In August, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, having helped it build one of the most technologically-sophisticated militaries in the world.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 69 percent of Israel’s imports of major conventional arms between 2019 and 2023.
- Nearly 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group, according to Israeli figures.
Amid a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal in Gaza on January 19, Israel intensified violence in the occupied West Bank, where more than 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since last October, according to local authorities.
- Several human rights groups, former State Department officials and Democratic lawmakers have urged the US government to halt arms transfers to Israel, citing violations of US laws, including the Leahy Law, as well as international laws and human rights. Israel denies these allegations.
The Leahy Law, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, requires the US to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.
US-made weapons have been documented in several Israeli strikes on Gaza that resulted in civilian casualties, although American authorities have declined to confirm the fact.
A State Department report in May said it is “reasonable to assess” that Israel used US-made weapons in ways that are inconsistent with international humanitarian law. The report stopped short of reaching a definitive conclusion, saying it does not have “complete information.”
U.S. readies new $1 bln arms sale to Israel, WSJ reports | Reuters
U.S. Readies New $1 Billion Arms Sale to IsraelThe planned sale comes weeks after Trump lifted a hold on 2,000-pound bombs for Israel imposed by the Biden administration
By Jared Malsin and Nancy A. Youssef
Updated Feb. 3, 2025 4:41 pm ET
The Trump administration asks Congress to approve new transfers of roughly $1bn worth of military hardware to Israel | The Australian
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