Washington (TDI): The Biden administration has formally notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed arms sale to Israel, which includes munitions for fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery shells.
The deal, aimed at supporting Israel’s long-term security, will be one of the last major arms sales to the country under Biden’s presidency, according to media reports.
The proposed arms package includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles developed to defend Israel against airborne threats, including drones, and 155mm artillery shells.
Moreover, the deal covers Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters, small diameter bombs, JDAM tail kits for precision munitions, bomb fuzes and 500-lb warheads.
The sale is expected to take several years to fully deliver, with some munitions available from existing US stocks, while others will need new production.
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Congress will have to approve the eal through both the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees.
The arms sale comes at a time of intensified tensions in the Middle East, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ackers claiming that President Biden had imposed a “silent arms embargo” on Israel.
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Biden has faced pressure from some Democrats to condition arms sales to Tel Aviv based on the handling of the war effort and humanitarian concerns in Gaza, but he has declined to do so.
