The US Department of State has approved the emergency sale of 12,000 aerial bomb casings worth more than $150 million to Israel, a move that comes as tensions and fighting in the Middle East continue to rise amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
According to officials, the deal is valued at about $151.8 million and includes 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies, each weighing around 1,000 pounds (about 450 kilograms). The sale was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which handles many of Washington’s foreign military sales.
Sale WIll Improve Israel’s Capability To Deal With Threats
In a statement explaining the decision, the department said the weapons sale is meant to strengthen Israel’s defence during the current crisis in the region. According to reports, officials said that, “The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
Reports say that the package is not limited to the bomb casings alone. It also includes engineering support, logistics assistance, and technical services provided by the US government and defence contractors. These additional services are meant to help Israel integrate and maintain the equipment effectively.
Emergency Exists For Israel
The decision was taken using an emergency authority. This emergency authority allows the administration to bypass the normal congressional review process required for arms sales under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency situation existed that required the immediate transfer of the weapons to Israel.
As per reports, the State Department said the secretary had provided “detailed justification that an emergency exists” and that the immediate sale of defence equipment to Israel was in the national security interests of the United States.
Criticism From US Lawmakers
However, the move has also drawn criticism from some lawmakers in Washington. Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing Congress raises serious questions. He said the decision “exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration’s case for war.”
Meeks added that the administration had repeatedly claimed it was fully prepared for the conflict but was now rushing to use emergency powers. “Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story,” he said, calling it “an emergency of the administration’s own creation.”
