The US may be about to supply a billion dollars in weapons to Israel

The Biden administration plans to ship a billion-dollar arms shipment to Israel, despite warnings about Operation Rafah, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.


The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on May 14 that President Joe Biden's administration had quietly notified Congress of the purchase of more than a billion dollars worth of weapons from domestic manufacturers to be shipped to the Israeli military. It's part of a $95 billion foreign aid bill passed by U.S. officials last month.

U.S. media said the shipment could include $700 million in artillery shells, tanks and $500 million for motor vehicles.

Congress can block the deal within 30 days of receiving the notice. Left-wing Democrats have expressed outrage at civilian casualties caused by Israel's campaign in the Gaza Strip, but have failed to block the Tel Aviv arms aid bill due to unified Republican support.

President Biden last week warned the U.S. would stop supplying artillery shells and other weapons to Israel if it attacked the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The statement came after a senior US official confirmed that Washington had stopped sending Israel a shipment of 1,800 weapons of various types, due to concerns about plans to attack Rafah.

It was the first time Biden had publicly warned Israel about halting arms supplies and used the fiercest language, pointing to a growing rift between the United States and its closest ally in the Middle East. Asked about the bombs weighing more than 900 kilograms being shipped to Israel, Biden acknowledged the U.S. weapons had caused civilian deaths in Gaza.

Israeli officials are determined to attack Rafah, seeing it as the last stronghold to destroy Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is ready to go it alone in the war. Tel Aviv believes that Hamas has at least 4 battalions remaining in Rafah. The Israeli military on May 14 deployed tanks deeper into Rafah, fighting near several populated areas.