The US State Department approved potential weapons sales to Israel totaling roughly $20 billion on Tuesday, including an anticipated sale of up to 50 F-15 fighter jets valued at more than $18 billion.
The F-15 sale is believed to be the biggest weapons package for Israel and was announced alongside approved potential sales of medium tactical vehicles, medium-range air-to-air missiles, high-explosive mortar cartridges and tank cartridges. The notification of the State Department approval of those sales went to Congress on Tuesday, news releases from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
Weapons sales must be approved by Congress. In most circumstances, the administration formally informs Congress of the intended arms sales after informal discussions with the heads of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees. Once the sales are formally notified, as they were on Tuesday, lawmakers have 30 days to block them. They can do that by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.
Deliveries of the equipment will not begin for years. The aircraft, for example, are not expected to be delivered until 2029. Two key congressional Democrats gave their approval for the significant F-15 sale in June. CNN reported Friday that the State Department notified lawmakers it was providing $3.5 billion to Israel for the use of purchasing US weapons and military equipment.
Although the weapons will not be delivered for years, the sale is nonetheless likely to provoke an outcry from critics of the Biden administration’s policies toward the war in Gaza. The US government has come under sharp scrutiny for what some say is a failure to pressure Israel on its prosecution of the war, which has killed tens of thousands in the Palestinian enclave.
The announcement of the sales comes amid significantly heightened tensions in the Middle East as the region braces for possible Iranian retaliation against Israel after the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel has not commented on the killing. It also comes ahead of the expected resumption of ceasefire talks later this week, and just days after an Israeli strike on a mosque and school in Gaza killed at least 93 people.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health estimates nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations estimates nearly 2 million people have been displaced.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a post on X on Tuesday for “advancing critical force buildup initiatives that assist Israel in developing and maintaining its qualitative military edge in the region.”
“As we fight to defend Israel on 7 different fronts, your message of support and commitment to Israel’s security, are clear,” he said.
In total, the approved sales announced Tuesday included up to 50 F-15IA multi-role fighter aircraft, and mid-life update modification kits of fighter jets and other related equipment, valued at $18.82 billion; 30 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and one AMRAAM guidance section for an estimated $102.5 million; 32,739 120mm tank cartridges and other equipment for an estimated $774.1 million; 50,000 High Explosive mortar cartridges and related equipment for an estimated $61.1 million; and an unclear number of modified Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles 8-ton cargo trucks and related equipment for an estimated $583.1 million.
The DSCA releases about the equipment say it will aid Israel’s ability to “meet current and future enemy threats” and “serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
