Package including tank rounds, mortars and armoured tactical vehicles. It is the first arms shipment after US President Joe Biden warned he may withhold arms to Israel over concerns about a Rafah offensive in southern Gaza.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it would send more than US$1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday. But it was not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered.
It’s the first arms shipment after US President Joe Biden warned he may withhold bombs and artillery shells to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went ahead in defiance of US warnings with an assault on Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than one million Palestinians have taken shelter after half a year of war.
The Biden administration also confirmed last week that for the first time it had halted a shipment including 2,000-pound bombs, fearing they would be used with devastating risks for civilians in Rafah.
The package disclosed Tuesday includes about US$700 million for tank ammunition, US$500 million in tactical vehicles and US$60 million in mortar rounds, the congressional aides said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public.
There was no immediate indication when the arms would be sent. Two congressional aides said the shipment is not part of the long-delayed foreign aid package that Congress passed and Biden signed last month.
