The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the approval of a significant arms sale to Israel worth $4 billion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that emergency authorities would be used to expedite military assistance to Israel.
"The decision to reverse the partial arms embargo of the Biden administration, which improperly withheld a number of arms and ammunition from Israel, is another sign that Israel has no more important ally in the White House than President Trump," Rubio stated in a statement.
The emergency declaration issued by the State Department allows bypassing Congress's review of the sale, raising the total arms sales to Israel by the new Trump administration to nearly $12 billion. This new package adds to Trump’s previous decision to unfreeze the shipment of 1,800 MK-84 bombs to the Hebrew state, which had been halted by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Although Biden supported the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and maintained the supply of arms, he decided to stop the shipment of these massive bombs in May 2024 due to fears of their use in densely populated areas of Rafah, south of the enclave. The acceleration of arms supply to Israel continues to demonstrate the close relationship between Israel and the White House under the Trump administration.
