Blinken reassures Israel that arms deliveries are proceeding normally after criticism from Netanyahu

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that arms deliveries to the US ally were going as planned, after accusing the United States of delaying military aid.

The United States stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel last month, fearing the weapons would be used in highly populated areas like Rafah. But all other shipments continued as normal, Blinken said, according to Politico.

“As you know, we continue to review a shipment that President Biden has discussed involving 2,000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah,” Blinken said during a press conference. But everything else is evolving as it normally would…with a view to ensuring that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges. »

The comment comes after Netanyahu blasted the Biden administration for slow shipments in a video message posted to X on Tuesday morning.

“It is inconceivable that over the past few months the administration has withheld arms and ammunition from Israel,” Netanyahu said. “Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working around the clock to eliminate these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that is the case. This should be the case.

The White House supported Blinken's response, saying it “genuinely [doesn’t] know” what Netanyahu was referring to.

The exchange came amid a period of heightened tensions between Israel and the United States over the war with Hamas, which the Biden administration has pressed Israel to end quickly with a ceasefire agreement. permanent fire.

Misty Severi is an evening reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on for more coverage.