MSN, by Melanie Swan: Donald Trump has approved the sale of 40,000 one-ton bombs to Israel in one of the largest ever transfers of the munitions.
The $2.8bn (£2.1bn) weapons package, funded by American taxpayers, includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117s, and 20,000 bunker-busting I-2000 penetrator warheads, according to The New York Times.
Israel has been criticised for its use of heavy bombs in Gaza, and Joe Biden, the former US president, halted their delivery two years ago.
But Mr Trump has approved the sale, despite the US’s reported arms shortage, The New York Times reported, with congressional committees responsible for reviewing major arms transfers notified.
The package will be paid for with foreign military financing, where Israel buys the weapons with US taxpayer dollars. It would significantly replenish Israel’s stocks of heavy munitions after years of fighting across Gaza, Lebanon and the Middle East.
Bombs weighing 2,000lb (907kg) are among the most destructive conventional weapons in Western arsenals.
The MK-84 can tear through concrete and metal and produce a large crater, while the I-2000 is designed to penetrate hardened targets such as bunkers before exploding.
Production and delivery could take months
Israel has used 2,000lb bombs extensively against Hamas and Hezbollah, arguing that the groups deliberately operate from civilian areas and maintain underground bunkers and tunnel networks that can require heavy weapons to destroy.
Their use has attracted international criticism because of the potential for civilian casualties when deployed in densely populated areas.
Last year Mr Trump approved a $2.04bn munitions package containing more than 35,500 MK-84 or BLU-117 bomb bodies and 4,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads after reversing Mr Biden’s decision.
Production and delivery could take months or years, although Washington has mechanisms for accelerating transfers.
The package is likely to face opposition from Democrats increasingly critical of US military support for Israel, though several attempts led by Bernie Sanders, the US senator, to block sales have fallen flat.
Congressional leaders could object to the sale, but Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, could ultimately move ahead regardless. Blocking a formally approved sale would require Congress to pass a resolution capable of overcoming a presidential veto.
The US has been dogged by accusations that it is running low on arms after months of fighting against Iran. This week, a report by the US defence department’s inspector general said there was a shortfall of US munitions and “bottlenecks” in supply chains.
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, denied the claims, while Mr Trump previously boasted of “virtually unlimited” supplies of ammunition.
The state department and Israeli embassy have not publicly commented on the proposed deal.
Meanwhile, JD Vance, the US vice-president, warned that Washington could not allow its Middle East foreign policy to become “subservient to the State of Israel”.
Speaking at a conference organised by the All-In Podcast on Wednesday, Mr Vance said Israel remained an important partner in military technology and intelligence-sharing, but stressed that the countries would not always agree.
“More than frankly any president in the last 40 years, [Donald Trump] has shown a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different from the interests of the government of Israel,” he said.
Mr Vance added that Washington should pursue its own interests while working with allies where their priorities align.
“Sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned,” he said in an interview with CBS News.
His comments follow a series of public disagreements between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu over the war with Iran and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
In June, Mr Trump admitted calling Mr Netanyahu “crazy” during a phone call. The president had reportedly shouted and cursed at the Israeli prime minister over the prospect of Israel resuming bombing in Beirut.
Prophetic Link:
“Everything in the world is in an unsettled state. The nations are angry, and great preparations for war are being made. Nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Manuscript 117, 1908. Manuscript Releases, Vol. 3, 313.1
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