US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the sale of fighter jets and other weapons to Israel in a deal worth more than $20 billion. In a statement, the Pentagon said Blinken approved the possible sale of 50 F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion.
He also approved the possible sale of 33,000 tank shells and 50,000 mortar shells worth about $774 million and military vehicles worth $583 million.
Tank shells will be available for delivery soon. Boeing’s F-15 fighter jets are not expected to arrive until 2029. The State Department notified Congress of the approval. Congress has the ability to block arms sales, but such a process is difficult.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security and it is critical to U.S. national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a robust and ready self-defense capability,” the U.S. State Department said in its notice regarding the F-15.
“The sale of tank ammunition will enhance Israel’s ability to confront current and future enemy threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” he added.
The fighter jet sale, valued at $18.82 billion, includes 50 F-15IA fighter jets—Israel’s variant of the advanced F-15EX—and equipment for the Israeli Air Force’s existing F-15s and other equipment.
Read also: UK Suspends Issuance of New Arms Export Licenses to Israel
Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant thanked Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the agreement. “This sale will advance a critical force-building initiative that assists Israel in developing and maintaining its qualitative military edge in the region,” Gallant wrote in X.
“This includes incorporating the F-15IA into the IAF’s fighter fleet and providing critical munitions to ensure Israel’s capability and security,” he added. “As we fight to defend Israel on seven different fronts, your message of support and commitment to Israel’s security is clear,” he continued.
Last year, Israel made a formal request to the US for 25 F-15IA fighter jets with an option for another 25. In May, Biden froze shipments to Israel that included 2,000-pound bombs as he warned against a large-scale attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, home to a large number of Palestinian refugees.
But the government said it had not stopped other weapons and dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s complaint in June that the United States was slowing down arms deliveries. (Times of Israel/Z-2)
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