State Department has informed Congress about a proposed arms sale to Israel, valued at $8 billion

The State Department has informally reported Congress of its plan to sell $8 billion worth of arms to Israel, according to a U.S. official and another source familiar with the situation, as reported by CNN.

On Friday, the State Department communicated this informal notification to both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, coinciding with the first day of the new Congress and occurring just weeks before the Biden administration’s term concludes. Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Biden administration of withholding military support from Israel, a claim that a Biden envoy described as “unproductive” and “more importantly, completely untrue.”

Israel is currently facing allegations from human rights organizations regarding violations of international law, particularly concerning its use of U.S. weapons in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties. In May, the State Department indicated that it was “reasonable to assess” that U.S. weapons had been utilized by Israeli forces in Gaza in ways deemed “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law, although it refrained from officially stating that Israel had violated the law.

The proposed arms sale, initially reported by Axios, includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles designed to counter airborne threats, including drones, as stated by the U.S. official. Additionally, the sale encompasses artillery shells, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), JDAM tail kits, 500-pound warheads, and FMU-152A/B bomb fuses, according to the sources.

A US official stated that the proposed sale aims to enhance Israel’s long-term security by replenishing essential munitions and air defense systems.

“The president has emphasized that Israel has the right to protect its citizens in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards, as well as to counter threats from Iran and its affiliated groups,” they informed CNN. “We will persist in supplying the necessary resources for Israel’s defense.”

The official also mentioned that while some of the munitions can be sourced from existing US stock, “the majority will require a timeframe of one to several years for delivery.”

The informal notification process is a standard procedure that informs relevant congressional committees—specifically the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations—about planned sales, enabling committee leaders to express concerns, provide feedback, or impose holds.