The Pentagon said Friday that the US State Department had approved a potential $7.41 billion overseas military sale to Israel.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated in a statement that the department approved the sale of “munitions, guidance kits, fuzes, and munitions support, along with related equipment, for an estimated cost of $6.75 billion.”
“AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $660 million” was approved for sale by the department separately.
On Friday, the agency provided Congress with the necessary certification alerting them to these potential sales.
“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”,it added.
The declaration was made during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington DC, the capital of the United States, when he met with President Donald Trump to talk about the war in Gaza and bilateral relations.
Trump declared last month that he had removed a ban on bomb supplies to Israel that had been put in place by the former Biden administration.
The delivery of a weapons cargo with 2,000-pound bombs, which Israel had used to level large areas of Gaza, was halted by then-President Joe Biden in May of last year.
Biden made the decision due to concerns over the possible use of the bombs in a heavily populated area.
More than 47,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed in Israel’s assault in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and the US has long been vilified for backing Israel in this conflict.
