Outgoing Biden Administration Approves $8 Billion Arms Deal for Israel

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US State Department has notified Congress “informally” of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with the Jewish state, Axios reported exclusively on Friday, January 3.

The proposed agreement needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees and is likely the last weapons sale to Israel that outgoing President Joe Biden will propose.

US officials who spoke to Axios said the proposed deal is a long-term agreement that includes the sale of AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones. The sale also includes 155mm artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters, as well as small bombs, JDAM tail kits that turn “dumb bombs” into precision munitions, 500-lb warheads, and bomb fuzes.

Some of the weaponry is ready for delivery through current US stocks, but most of it will take a year or more to ship, Axios said.

“The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” a US official told Axios.

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