US State Department approves $151 million ammunition sale to Israel
The US State Department on Friday approved the sale of $151.8 million worth of munitions to Israel as the war with Iran escalates.
According to a statement, the sale of 12,000 bombs weighing 470 kilograms has been approved at the request of the Foreign Ministry’s Office of Political and Military Affairs.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s ability to counter current and future threats, strengthen its defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the office said in the statement.
In addition to the munitions, the sale will include engineering, logistics, and technical assistance services provided by the US government, according to the statement.
President Donald Trump announced on social media on Friday, a week after the United States and Israel launched the first strikes on Iran, that major US defense companies had agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons.
While US arms sales typically require congressional approval, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an exemption from the measure, much to the chagrin of some lawmakers.
“The secretary of state provided a detailed justification for the existence of an emergency that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of said defense materials and services, which is in the national security interest of the United States,” the State Department said, citing the Arms Export Control Act.
Congressman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing a congressional review of the arms sale reveals a stark contradiction in the very nature of this administration’s position on the war.
“The Trump administration has repeatedly stressed that it was fully prepared for this war… But rushing to activate the emergency power to bypass Congress tells a very different story… This is an emergency made by the Trump administration,” he said.
