The US has approved the sale of $20 billion worth of arms to Israel, including a number of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the US State Department announced on Tuesday.
Congress has been notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120mm tank ammunition and high-explosive mortars and tactical vehicles, and comes at a time when there is deep concern that Israel could be drawn into a wider Middle East war.
However, Israel is not expected to receive the weapons anytime soon, these are contracts that will take years to complete. Much of what is being sold is meant to help Israel increase its military capabilities in the long term.
The State Department said in a release on the sale, “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and assisting Israel in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability is vital to U.S. national interests. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”
The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with growing demands from lawmakers and the American public to halt military aid to Israel because of the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. It has blocked a delivery of 2,000 pounds of weapons amid continued Israeli airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.
The contracts will not only include the sale of 50 new planes built by Boeing. It will also include upgrade kits for Israel to modify its fleet of two dozen F-15 fighter jets with new engines and radar, as well as other upgrades. The $20 billion sale comprises the biggest chunk of jets, with the first deliveries expected in 2029.