Biden moves forward with more than $1 billion in weapons to Israel

The Biden administration informed Congress of its intention to transfer more than $1 billion in weapons to Israel, a week after President Joe Biden said he was suspending the shipment of some heavy bombs to the country , a lawmaker close to the matter confirmed to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration has suspended the shipment of 3,500 bombs to Israel, fearing they could be used in a major military operation in Rafah, where more than a million refugees have sought shelter.

The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar shells, according to the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report account of this development. The transfer will be subject to congressional review before being approved and sent.

It was not immediately clear whether the more than $1 billion package included the suspended weapons.

The administration began a review of some arms transfers to Israel last month, and the president suspended the shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs last week, while Israel was intensifying its plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, south of Gaza. city. The president feared they would be used against “population centers” in Rafah.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday that the United States has sent massive military aid to Israel to defend against all threats, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and its other proxies , and that they would continue to provide their assistance.

“We continue to send military assistance and we will ensure that Israel receives the full amount provided under the supplement,” Sullivan said. “We have suspended sending 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities. We are discussing this with the Israeli government.”

Biden last week acknowledged the role US bombs have played in civilian deaths since Israel's war in Gaza began seven months ago – and said for the first time he was prepared to impose conditions to American arms if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carries out a major invasion. from Rafah.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza because of these bombs and other ways that they're attacking population centers,” Biden told CNN's Erin Burnett in an exclusive interview on “Erin Burnett OutFront,” making referring to the 2,000 pound bombs he had hanging. shipments from last week.

“I made it clear that if they went to Rafah – they haven't gone to Rafah yet – if they went to Rafah, I would not provide them with the weapons that were historically used to deal with Rafah, to taking care of cities – that solve this problem,” Biden said. “This is simply not true. We are not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells that were used (there).”

On October 7, Hamas killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took around 250 others hostage. In the seven months since, Israeli retaliation has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

The war also triggered a humanitarian crisis. Around 1.1 million people in Gaza – half the population – have completely exhausted their food reserves and coping skills and are battling catastrophic hunger and famine, according to the UN World Food Program.

Sullivan said Monday it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation in the heart of Rafah that would endanger large numbers of civilians without a clear strategic gain.

“The president has made it clear that he would not provide certain offensive weapons for such an operation, should it occur,” Sullivan said. “That has not happened yet. And we are still working with Israel to find a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas throughout Gaza.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden wants Congress to approve $1 billion in arms for Israel