The US State Department approved potential arms sales to Israel totaling approximately $20 billion on Tuesday (13), including an anticipated sale of up to 50 F-15 fighter jets valued at more than $18 billion.
The F-15 sale is considered the largest arms package to Israel and was announced alongside potential approved sales of medium tactical vehicles, medium-range air-to-air missiles, high-explosive mortar rounds and tank shells.
Notification of the State Department’s approval of these sales went to Congress on Tuesday, according to press releases from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
Arms sales must be approved by Congress. In most circumstances, the administration formally informs Congress of intended arms sales after informal discussions with the heads of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees.
Once the sales are formally notified, as they were Tuesday, lawmakers have 30 days to block them. They can do so by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.
Deliveries of the equipment will not begin for years. The aircraft, for example, is not expected to be delivered before 2029.
Two key Democrats in Congress gave their approval for the significant F-15 sale in June.
THE CNN reported Friday (9) that the State Department notified lawmakers that it was providing $3.5 billion to Israel for use in purchasing U.S. weapons and military equipment.
Although the weapons will not be delivered for years, the sale is likely to spark an outcry from critics of the Biden administration’s policies toward the war in Gaza.
The US government has come under intense scrutiny for what some say is a failure to pressure Israel over its handling of the war, which has killed tens of thousands in the Palestinian enclave.
The announcement of the sales comes amid significantly heightened tensions in the Middle East as the region braces for possible Iranian retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel has not commented on the killing.
It also comes ahead of the expected resumption of ceasefire talks later this week, and just days after an Israeli attack on a mosque and school in Gaza killed at least 93 people.
Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations estimates that nearly 2 million people have been displaced.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a post on X on Tuesday (13) for “advancing critical force buildup initiatives that help Israel develop and maintain its qualitative military edge in the region.”
“As we fight to defend Israel on seven different fronts, your message of support and commitment to Israel’s security is clear,” Gallant said.
In total, the approved sales announced Tuesday included up to 50 F-15IA multi-role fighter aircraft and fighter jet mid-life upgrade modification kits and other related equipment, valued at $18.82 billion.
They are: 30 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and an AMRAAM guidance section for an estimated $102.5 million; 32,739 120mm tank rounds and other equipment for an estimated $774.1 million; 50,000 high-explosive mortar rounds and related equipment for an estimated $61.1 million; and an uncertain number of modified Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles 8-ton cargo trucks and related equipment for an estimated $583.1 million.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s statements about the equipment say it will help Israel’s ability to “counter current and future enemy threats” and “serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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