U.S. approves $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel amid threat of wider Middle East war
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.
Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, advanced medium range air-to-air Mmissiles, 120-millimeter tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. It comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.
However, the weapons are not expected to get to Israel anytime soon because they are contracts that will take years to fulfill. Much of what is being sold is to help Israel increase its military capability in the long term.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the State Department said in a release on the sale.
Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
A 3-month-old infant was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. A mother and 4-day-old twins were killed in another.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 in the Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel that ignited the war.
The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with a growing number of calls from lawmakers and the U.S. public to curb military support there because of the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. It has curbed one delivery of 2,000-pound weapons amid continued airstrikes by Israel in densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.
The contracts include not only 50 new aircraft, to be produced by Boeing, but also upgrade kits for Israel to modify its existing fleet of two dozen F-15s with new engines and radar equipment, among other improvements. The jets comprise the biggest portion of the $20 billion in sales announced Tuesday, with the first deliveries expected in 2029.
Copp writes for the Associated Press. Times staff contributed to this report.
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