The Biden administration on Saturday approved an “emergency sale” to send nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition to Israel as it steps up its invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The State Department approved the massive download, valued at more than $106 million, in a move that allowed it to bypass Congress.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security and it is vital to American national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the department said in a statement.
“Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent against regional threats and to strengthen the defense of its territory,” he added.
For the price of $106.5 million, Israel will receive 13,981 high-explosive 120mm anti-tank multipurpose tank rounds with tracer, as well as support, engineering and logistics from the United States, all of which will come from the Army’s inventory.
Congress was notified of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that “an emergency exists” in the Middle East war that would affect U.S. national security interests.
The urgency allowed Biden officials to sell the weaponry without the standard congressional review required for foreign military sales.
Although unusual, the fire sale is unprecedented. In 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo similarly sold $8.1 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have trouble overcoming lawmakers’ concerns. about the war led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. in Yemen.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that “an emergency exists” in the Middle East war that would affect the national security interests of the United States. AP
The sale comes days after the Biden administration asked Congress to approve a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs.
A large part of the funding would go to military and economic assistance in Ukraine, saying kyiv’s war effort to defend against the Russian invasion could stop without it.
The administration has faced a difficult reception on Capitol Hill, where there is growing skepticism about the magnitude of assistance to Ukraine and where even Republicans who support the funding insist on changes to U.S.-Mexico border policy to stem the flow of immigrants as a condition for assistance.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike against the al-Shuja’ia district in Gaza on December 9, 2023. ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives approved a separate $14.3 billion aid package for Israel.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed when Hamas launched its surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, and 97 Israel Defense Forces soldiers have since been killed in the fighting.
As the war enters its third month, the death toll in Gaza stands at more than 17,400, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip’s Health Ministry.
With postal cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn