The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.
Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120mm tank ammunition, high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. The move comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.
However, the weapons are not expected to get to Israel anytime soon, with the contracts slated to take years to fulfill. Much of what is being sold is to help Israel increase its military capability in the long term. The earliest systems being delivered under the contract aren’t expected until the 2026 timeframe.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a release. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”
The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with a growing number of calls from lawmakers and the U.S. public to halt military support there due to the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. It has curbed one delivery of 2,000-pound weapons amid continued airstrikes by Israel in densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.
The contracts will cover not only the sale of 50 new aircraft to be produced by Boeing, but will also include upgrade kits — new engines and radars, among other upgrades — for Israel to modify its existing fleet of two dozen F-15 fighter jets.
The jets comprise the biggest portion of the $20 billion in sales, with the first deliveries expected in 2029.
Tara Copp is a Pentagon correspondent for the Associated Press. She was previously Pentagon bureau chief for Sightline Media Group.
