The Trump administration has authorized a nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing the usual congressional review process to expedite the delivery of additional 2,000-pound bombs used in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
In notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department confirmed its approval of a $2.04 billion sale, which includes more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, along with 4,000 Predator warheads.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department stated.
Marco Rubio
Deliveries are scheduled to begin next year, according to the department.
Using the same emergency justification, Rubio also approved an additional munitions sale to Israel worth $675.7 million, with deliveries set to start in 2028.
Additionally, the department announced that Rubio had authorized the emergency sale of D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers valued at $295 million.
