The United States has approved an emergency $3 billion weapons sale to Israel, including bombs and demolition equipment.
The Pentagon said in a press release that the State Department has approved a potential sale of bombs, demolition equipment, and other weapons to Israel, valued at approximately $3 billion.
Congress was notified of the potential arms sale on an emergency basis on Friday.
This move bypasses a long-standing practice of allowing the heads and members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to review the deal and request additional information before formally notifying Congress.
The arms sales include 35,529 general-purpose bombs weighing around 1,000 kilograms each and 4,000 bunker-buster bombs of the same weight, produced by General Dynamics.
While the Pentagon stated that deliveries would begin in 2026, it added, “There is a possibility that part of these purchases could come from US stockpiles,” which could mean the immediate delivery of some weapons.
The second package is valued at $675 million and consists of 5,000 bombs, each weighing around 500 kilograms, along with the necessary equipment to assist in guiding “dumb” (unguided) bombs. This package was expected to be delivered in 2028.
A third notification includes bulldozers produced by Caterpillar, valued at $295 million.
This is the second time in one month that the Trump administration has declared an emergency to expedite the approval of arms sales to Israel.
The administration of former President Joe Biden had previously used emergency authorities to approve arms sales to Israel without congressional review.
Last Monday, the Trump administration revoked an order issued during the Biden era, which required it to report potential violations of international law related to weapons provided by the United States to allies, including Israel.
A ceasefire agreement in Gaza was reached after a 15-month Israeli war and genocide against the Strip, which resulted in the killing and injury of over 160,000 people and unprecedented destruction not seen since World War II.
The first phase of the prisoner exchange agreement, which came into effect on January 19 following successful mediation led by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, was completed on Thursday.
The first phase—which lasted six weeks—ends today, Saturday. Israel has refrained from entering negotiations regarding the second phase and is seeking to extend the first phase to recover more of its prisoners in Gaza without committing to ending the war.
(PC, AJA)
