Biden Boosts Israel Munitions Amid Gaza Conflict: Latest Updates
The Biden Administration has reportedly dispatched a substantial quantity of munitions to Israel, including over 10,000 highly destructive one-ton bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the onset of the Gaza conflict, according to two informed American officials cited by Reuters.
Since the conflict began last October and continuing up to recent days, the United States has delivered at least 14,000 MK-84 bombs weighing 900 kilograms each, 6,500 bombs weighing over 200 kilograms each, 3,000 precision-guided Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 small-diameter bombs released from aircraft, and other munitions, as confirmed by officials.
While officials refrained from specifying the exact timeframe of these deliveries, the figures indicate that US military support for its ally has not notably decreased, despite international calls to curb arms supplies and a recent decision to suspend the delivery of potent bombs.
Experts suggest that these deliveries align with Israel's requirements to replenish stocks depleted during the intense eight-month military campaign in Gaza, initiated following the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants, which resulted in 1,200 fatalities and the capture of 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.
These delivery figures, previously unreported, constitute the most recent and comprehensive evidence of munitions shipped to Israel since the commencement of the Gaza conflict. Tensions have escalated between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah since the conflict's outset, heightening concerns of a potential full-scale war between the two parties.
The White House declined to comment, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment, as noted by Reuters.
These deliveries form part of a broader list of weaponry dispatched to Israel since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, as indicated by a senior American official. On Wednesday, a senior official in the Biden administration informed reporters that Washington has allocated $6.5 billion in security assistance to Israel since October 7.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
