The Biden administration is pushing ahead with a $680 million arms sales package to Israel, a US official familiar with the plan said on Wednesday, reported news agency Reuters.
This development comes a day after a US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
The package, which was first reported by the Financial Times, includes thousands of joint direct attack munition kits (JDAM) and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, according to the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US president will launch a renewed drive Wednesday for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The truce that began before dawn Wednesday in the south Lebanon war means Iran-backed Hezbollah is no longer fighting in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. That will increase pressure on the militant Palestinian group to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal, Jake Sullivan told MSNBC.
In August, the Biden administration approved more than $20 billion package for new weapons sales to Israel, defying the pressure from rights activists to halt arms deliveries due to the death toll in Gaza.
The weapons delivery will take years to complete. In a notification to Congress, the state department had announced the approval of a sale consisting of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel for $18.82 billion.
Along with the jets, Israel will purchase nearly 33,000 tank cartridges, up to 50,000 explosive mortar cartridges, and new military cargo vehicles. The F-15 jets, equipped with advanced radar and secure communications gear, will significantly upgrade Israel’s existing fleet when they begin arriving in 2029.
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