The Trump administration is planning a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel that would include 40,000 powerful 2,000-pound bombs, according to US officials familiar with the proposed deal.
The package would include 20,000 MK 84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, Reuters reported. The proposal has been informally shared with relevant congressional committees, although the State Department and Israeli embassy had not publicly commented on the deal.
The proposed shipment includes bombs capable of striking both above-ground and deeply buried targets. Similar types of US-made munitions have been used by Israel during its military operations in Gaza.
The planned sale comes amid continuing fighting in the region and international scrutiny over the use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas.
The Biden administration had previously withheld a shipment of some 2,000-pound bombs over concerns about their potential impact on civilians in Gaza. The Trump administration has since moved to restore and expand deliveries of such weapons to Israel.
The proposed package is expected to be financed largely through US foreign military financing, meaning much of the cost would be covered through American government assistance.
The deal is part of broader US military support for Israel. In March, the Trump administration also used emergency authority to expedite a separate sale of more than 20,000 bombs worth about $650 million, bypassing the usual congressional review process.
The latest proposal comes as the Gaza conflict continues to generate debate in the United States and internationally over US military assistance to Israel and the humanitarian consequences of the fighting.
The proposed $2.8 billion sale has not yet been publicly finalised, and further steps will be required before the weapons can be delivered under the planned arrangement.
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