US President Joe Biden’s administration is close to approving the sale of up to 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The transaction, which would represent the largest U.S. foreign military sale to Israel since the country went to war with Hamas on Oct. 7, comes as the administration is also expected to notify Congress soon of a major new selling precision-guided munitions to Israel, the sources said.
The new sales of some of the U.S.’s most sophisticated weapons underscore the extent to which the U.S. continues to support Israel militarily, even as Biden administration officials criticize Israel’s operations in Gaza, which have killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since October, according to the Ministry of Defense. Health administered by Hamas in Gaza.
The sale is expected to be hotly debated in Congress, especially by members of the president’s party.
U.S. arms sales to Israel have come under intense scrutiny in recent months and Democratic lawmakers have called for restricting military aid to Israel until it allows more humanitarian aid to Gaza and does more to protect civilians in the country.
It is worth remembering that Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, the United States has carried out more than 100 foreign military sales to Israel.
