The United States may enter into a truly large-scale arms supply agreement with Israel - Congress has received an "unofficial" notification from the U.S. State Department regarding plans to sell weapons to Israel amounting to billions of dollars. In fact, this will be the last deal approved by President Biden's administration before the official inauguration of newly elected President Donald Trump.
As reported by Axios, this information has emerged amid Israel's recent claims of a "silent arms embargo" from the U.S. For instance, in October, there were discussions in the U.S. suggesting that in light of a potential confrontation with China, Washington needs to reassess its policy regarding support for partners, indicating that they should be prepared to leave not only Europe but also Israel.
Concerning the details of the potential sale, the amount is expected to reach up to $8 billion. Some of the weapons may be supplied from U.S. military stockpiles, but in most cases, it will involve the production of new weapons: deliveries could extend over an indefinite period, primarily focusing on long-term support for Israel.
Regarding the list of weapons that may be included in the agreement, it consists of the following items:
- AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles;
- 155-mm artillery ammunition;
- AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles for Israeli helicopters;
- JDAM kits.
In the context of a potential agreement with Israel amounting to $8 billion, it is worth noting that this is not the first such arrangement for the U.S. regarding arms and services supply to partners in recent times.
For example, at the end of 2024, a deal was approved for the modernization of Egyptian M1 Abrams main battle tanks worth up to $4.7 billion, involving 555 units. A notable aspect of this agreement is that all upgrade work will be conducted directly in Egypt.
Furthermore, at the beginning of this year, the U.S. State Department approved a $3.64 billion missile sale to Japan, which includes over a thousand air-to-air missiles of the AIM-120C-8 and AIM-120D-3 types.
Additionally, in the fall of 2024, Israel ordered F-15EX aircraft for a free $5.2 billion, but they will have to wait until the early 2040s.