The State Department is planning to sell $8 billion in arms to Israel to help the country defend itself against Iran and its proxies, marking what will likely be the Biden administration’s last major weapons sale to the Jewish state.
The State Department “informally” notified Congress of the plan on Friday, the first day of its new session, Axios reported.
The deal still needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees.
The agency told Congress the deal is aimed at “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” a source told the outlet.
The new weapons package will include AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets; artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters; small diameter bombs; JDAM tail kits, which convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions; 500-pound warheads and bomb fuses.
Some of the supplies can be provided through current US stocks, but most of them will take at least a year to deliver, according to reports.
In August, the US approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. Another $680 million package for Israel was confirmed in November.
