news

US approves $20 billion arms sale to Israel

2024-08-14

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

China News Service, Washington, August 13 (Reporter Sha Hanting) The US State Department issued a statement on the 13th local time saying that it has approved a $20 billion arms sales plan to Israel.

The statement said the arms sale included 50 F-15 fighter jets, advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM), 120mm tank ammunition, mortars and tactical vehicles, etc. Congress has been notified of the arms sale.

The statement also said that the United States has been committed to ensuring Israel's security, and helping Israel build and maintain a strong self-defense capability is "vital" to the US national interest. The arms sales plan is in line with this goal.

According to US media reports, tanks and ammunition in the arms sales plan can be shipped to Israel immediately. The F-15 fighter jets are produced by Boeing and are expected to be ready by 2029 at the earliest.

Hamas attacked southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year, killing nearly 1,200 people. Israel subsequently launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, killing more than 39,300 Palestinians so far.

Since the Israeli-Kazakh conflict, the Biden administration has expressed support for Israel, but several Democratic lawmakers have opposed continuing to provide military aid to Israel. In May this year, US Secretary of Defense Austin said that the United States had suspended the shipment of some "high-payload ammunition" to Israel. (End)