US to Approve $2.8bn Arms Deal for Israel — Reports

The United States is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, according to reports citing US officials familiar with the proposed deal.

The package, reported by The Washington Post and subsequently by Reuters and other media outlets, includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs. It also includes 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads, according to the Washington Post.

The proposed sale has been informally communicated to relevant congressional committees, which have a role in reviewing major US arms sales. However, reports indicate that the transaction was not yet formally notified to Congress at the time of the reports.

A senior US administration official told Reuters that foreign arms sales were proceeding through the appropriate process but declined to comment specifically on the pending transaction.

The State Department has also said it does not normally confirm or comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress.

The weapons are among the largest conventional bombs in the US arsenal. The MK-84 is a 2,000-pound general-purpose bomb, while the BLU-117 is a variant designed with a thermal protective coating. The I-2000 is a penetrator warhead intended for hardened targets.

The proposed package has drawn attention because the Biden administration temporarily withheld a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in 2024 over concerns about their potential use in densely populated areas of Gaza. President Donald Trump subsequently lifted that hold after returning to office in 2025.

The proposed $2.8 billion package would largely be financed through the US Foreign Military Financing programme, under which US funds are provided to Israel to purchase American-made military equipment.

The reported arms package comes amid the continuing conflict involving Israel and Hamas and ongoing international scrutiny of US military support for Israel.

The exact timing of the proposed transfer and its final contents remain subject to the US government’s formal arms-sale process and congressional notification.