The Biden administration has delivered substantial amounts of munitions to “Israel”, including over 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the onset of the war on Gaza, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two American officials familiar with an updated weapons shipment list.
The officials mentioned that from the start of the war in October 2023, until recent days, the United States has provided “Israel” with at least 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 small-diameter air-dropped bombs, and other munitions.
Although no specific timeline was given for these shipments, Reuters highlighted that the totals indicate a consistent level of US military support for “Israel” despite international appeals to limit arms supplies and a recent decision by the Biden administration to pause a shipment of powerful bombs.
The news agency cited experts as saying that the contents of these shipments align with “Israel’s” needs to replenish supplies used in its eight-month war on Gaza.
“While these numbers could be expended relatively quickly in a major conflict, this list clearly reflects a substantial level of support from the United States for our Israeli allies,” indicated Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He noted that these munitions are typical for “Israel’s” operations against Hamas or a potential confrontation with Hezbollah.
According to Reuters, the delivery figures, not previously reported, offer the most current and comprehensive tally of munitions shipped to “Israel” since the war on Gaza began.
One of the American officials mentioned that these shipments are part of a broader list of weapons sent to “Israel” since the war began.
On Wednesday, a senior Biden administration official confirmed that Washington has provided $6.5 billion in security assistance to Tel Aviv since October 7, 2023.
This comes despite Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently claiming that the US was withholding weapons, a statement American officials have repeatedly denied, although they acknowledged some logistical “bottlenecks”.
While the Biden administration has paused one shipment of the 2,000-pound bombs due to concerns about their impact in densely populated areas in Gaza, American officials maintain that all other arms deliveries continue as scheduled.
A single 2,000-pound bomb can penetrate thick concrete and metal, causing a wide blast radius, Reuters noted.
On Thursday, Axios reported that the Biden administration is set to release a shipment of 500-pound bombs to “Israel” after it had been previously put on hold over concerns about the Israeli military attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
According to the news website, the administration is resuming the shipments because Biden seeks to mend ties with pro-Israeli lobbyists and supporters amid soaring tensions over the suspension of the bombs package.
Axios pointed out that, after a series of talks, the US buckled under the pressure and gave in to the Israeli demands, reaching an agreement to release the 500-pound bombs independently from the paused 2,000-pound bombs shipment.
It is noteworthy that the United States provides $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to its longstanding ally. While Biden has warned of imposing conditions on military aid if “Israel” fails to protect Palestinian civilians and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, he has only delayed the May shipment.
