Axios cited a US official as saying that, although the timing of the deals was coincidental, they also serve to project US support for Israel as tensions are rising in the region.
The US administration has approved a major arms deal with Israel, valued at over $20 billion, the American news website Axios reported on Wednesday.
This package reportedly includes new F-15 fighter jets, tens of thousands of tank and mortar shells, and other military equipment.
“Most of the weapons sales are long-term deals and will only be delivered several years from now, but Israeli officials said the announcement sends a message to Iran and Hezbollah as they threaten to attack Israel,” the report stated.
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Axios cited a US official as saying that, although the timing of the deals was coincidental, they also serve to project US support for Israel as tensions are rising in the region.
The centerpiece of the package is the sale of 50 F-15IA fighter jets and the upgrade of 25 F-15I jets currently in service, a deal worth $18.8 billion, according to Axios.
Additionally, the administration approved the sale of 50,000 120mm mortar shells, 32,000 120mm tank shells, 30 Advanced medium-range air-to-air Missiles, and military tactical vehicles, the report noted.
Israel has been waiting for a considerable time for these deals to be approved.
According to Israeli and US officials cited by Axios, the visit of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to Washington played a crucial role in advancing the deals.
Despite reports that Israeli forces are systematically violating international law and engaging in abuses such as torture, the flow of US weapons to Israel continues unabated.
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This persists even though US law mandates halting support to military units accused of severe human rights violations.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,929 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,240 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
