US MOVES TOWARD $2.8BN ARMS PACKAGE FOR ISRAEL

President Donald Trump's administration is on track to approve a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel, US media, including the Washington Post, reported on Tuesday. One report said the package includes 40,000 one-ton bombs, while another put the total at 60,000 munitions, made up of 20,000 MK-84s, 20,000 BLU-117s and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. The package would be funded by American taxpayers, largely through the US Foreign Military Financing scheme, under which Washington pays for Israel's purchases of American-made weapons. The administration has not officially confirmed the sale. A senior administration official told AFP that "all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process" but declined to comment on pending transactions, while a State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress.

The MK-84 is the largest of the Mark 80 series of bombs, an unguided, 2,000-pound (907kg) general-purpose weapon designed for maximum blast and fragmentation against buildings and moderately protected targets. US media described the reported package as among the largest sales of munitions to Israel in recent years. The reports come as the war in Gaza continues into its third year, alongside violence involving Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and Israeli military action in southern Lebanon. One report said these events have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the region. US media also reported that the administration has informally notified Congress of the sale.

One report said the reported sale comes as the US's own munitions stockpile has been reduced, linked to American military action against Iran and further strain from Russia's war in Ukraine. Formal notification to Congress is required under US policy before an arms sale of this scale can proceed. Neither the White House nor the State Department has confirmed the specific figures reported by US media. Officials have so far limited their public comments to describing the general process through which foreign arms sales are reviewed.