WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel in its 10-month war in the Gaza Strip, but the Pentagon said no deliveries would be made. Years said it wouldn’t start.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has purchased $19 billion worth of F-15 combat vehicles, in addition to $774 million worth of tank ammunition, more than $60 million worth of mortar shells, and $583 million worth of military vehicles. The Pentagon announced in a statement that it had approved the sale of the aircraft and equipment. .
Boeing Co. (BA.N) opens in new tab The F-15 fighter jet was expected to take several years to manufacture, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2029. Deliveries of other equipment are expected to begin in 2026, the Pentagon said.
Experts familiar with the process said some deliveries could come sooner than 2026.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and helping Israel develop and maintain a strong and responsive self-defense capability is critical to our national interests,” the Pentagon said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a post to I was grateful.
The United States, Israel’s biggest ally and arms supplier, has sent more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles to Israel since the start of the Gaza war in October, US officials say. He told Reuters in June.
The war devastated Gaza and resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths. Hoping to avoid a broader Middle East war, Washington has sought to arrange a ceasefire with other regional mediators.
President Joe Biden proposed a three-phase Gaza ceasefire on May 31. However, efforts to achieve this have so far been unsuccessful. The latest bloodshed in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict began when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel in October. According to Israeli tallies, 1,200 people were killed on the 7th and about 250 were taken hostage. Subsequent Israeli attacks on Hamas-controlled enclaves have left around 40,000 Palestinians dead, according to the local health ministry. It also displaced nearly its entire population of 2.3 million people, sparking a famine crisis and leading to allegations of genocide, which Israel denies at the World Court. Washington faces growing criticism at home and abroad for its military aid to Israel.
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Kanishka Singh and Mike Stone report from Washington. Editing: Rami Ayyub, Humaira Pamuk, Cynthia Osterman
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