The Biden administration “quietly approved” and delivered over 100 separate weapons sales to Israel since the war began on October 7th, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
In a recent classified briefing, US officials told members of Congress that the sales to Israel included thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms, and other lethal weapons.
According to the report, the weapons sales were carried out without any public debate because each one was under a specific amount of money that would necessitate the executive branch to notify Congress.
Only two weapons sales to Israel were made public since October 7th – each approved by invoking an emergency authority – $106 million worth of tank ammunition and $147.5 million of components needed to produce 155 mm shells.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller said the Biden administration has “followed the procedures Congress itself has specified to keep members well-informed and regularly briefs members even when formal notification is not a legal requirement.”
He added that U.S. officials have “engaged Congress” on arms transfers to Israel “more than 200 times” since Hamas launched the October 7th attack.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)