The Trump administration is reportedly planning to sell Israel an approximate $2.8 billion munitions package including tens of thousands of 2,000-pound bombs.
The package includes 20,000 MK 84 and 20,000 BLU-117 bomb bodies, according to an unnamed official who told Reuters on the condition of anonymity due to the sale not yet being made public. The Washington Post first reported the transaction.
It has been informally communicated to the congressional committees that weigh in on large arms sales, an early step in the process rather than a formal approval.
Both the MK 84 and the BLU-117 are versions of the 2,000-pound bomb, a heavy, general-purpose air-dropped weapon. Israel has used the munitions extensively in its campaign in Gaza and in Lebanon.
Foreign military sales of this size require notification to Congress, which can raise objections, before they are finalized.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Military.com on the proposed sale, including where it stands in the process.
Series of Arms Sales
That package would add to a series of major U.S. arms sales to Israel under the Trump administration. In January, the administration approved sales worth $6.67 billion.
It has separately moved forward with billions of dollars in additional munitions and equipment over the past year, much of it involving the same category of 2,000-pound bombs.
The current administration lifted a hold that the Biden administration had placed on shipments of 2,000-pound bombs. The previous White House had paused these over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza.
Since then, the flow of heavy munitions to Israel has resumed and expanded.
Tied to a Wider War
It comes amid the conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report, has cost U.S. taxpayers roughly $38 billion up to Aug. 1.
Iran retaliated with strikes on Israel and on Gulf states that host U.S. bases. The fighting has since killed thousands and displaced millions, according to accounts of the conflict.
The 2,000-pound bombs have been a repeated point of contention throughout the wars.
A United Nations inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejects.
Israel describes its actions as self-defense. They pointed to the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Public Opinion Shifting
The package also arrives as U.S. public support for Israel has declined since the Gaza war began in 2023, particularly among Democrats.
A Quinnipiac University poll in June found that 48% of voters, and 66% of Democrats, believed the United States was too supportive of Israel. When the question was first asked in 2017, those figures were 16% and 20%, respectively.
Arms sales to Israel have repeatedly drawn objections from some members of Congress, who have argued that the administration has moved forward with major transfers while limiting the legislative branch’s ability to review them.
Others have defended the sales as essential to the security of a close U.S. ally facing threats across the region. Since the proposed sale has been communicated to Congress only informally, its final scope and timing could change before any formal notification.
The administration has not publicly announced the package. It is still unclear when it might send a formal notification.
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