Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, the government of US President Joe Biden has sent a large number of weapons to Israel, including more than 10,000 highly destructive 900-kilo bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, two said. US authorities with information about the list of weapons sent to the country.
According to the officials — who are not authorized to speak publicly — between the start of the war in October and the present day, the U.S. has transferred at least 14,000 MK-84 bombs, as well as 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-busting bombs, 2,600 small-diameter bombs and other munitions.
Although the sources did not provide a timetable for the shipments, the quantities suggest that there has not been a significant drop in US military support for the ally, despite international calls for the country to limit the amount of weapons sent and the recent decision to halt the shipment of more destructive bombs.
Experts say the contents of the shipments appear to be consistent with what Israel needs to restore its supplies used in the intense military campaign in the Gaza Strip, launched eight months ago, after the attack by Palestinian Hamas militants, which killed 1,200 people and injured 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
“While these numbers could be spent relatively quickly in a major conflict, the list clearly reflects a substantial level of U.S. support for our Israeli allies,” said Tom Karako, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The numbers, which have not been previously reported, form the most up-to-date and extensive list of ammunition sent to Israel since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
The White House declined to comment. The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the data.
The shipments are part of a broader list of weapons sent to Israel since the Gaza conflict began, one of the U.S. officials said. On Wednesday, a Biden administration official told reporters that Washington had sent $6.5 billion in security assistance to Israel since Oct. 7.
In recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the US was holding back weapons, something US officials have repeatedly denied, even as they acknowledge there are some “bottlenecks”.
The Biden administration has paused sending the 2,000-pound bombs, citing concerns about their possible impact on densely populated regions in the Gaza Strip. US authorities insist that the rest of the weapons continue to be shipped normally. A 2,000-pound bomb can break through concrete and metal, creating a wider blast radius.
Washington provides $3.8 billion in military assistance to its ally each year. Although Biden warned that he would impose conditions on military aid if Israel failed to protect civilians and prevent more humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, he did nothing more than delay the May shipment.
The president’s support for Israel has become a political liability in his re-election bid this year, particularly among young Democrats.
Source: CNN Brasil
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