US said proposing $8 billion arms deal for Israel, including air-to-air missiles, 500-lb bombs

The Biden administration has informally notified the US Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms deal with Israel that includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters alongside artillery shells, Axios reports, citing two sources.

The sources tell Axios that some of the deal can be supplied from current US stocks, but most will take a year or more to deliver. The deal will presumably be the last to be approved by the Biden administration.

The package — which needs to be okayed by the House and Senate foreign relations committees — reportedly includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones; 155mm artillery shells; Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters; small diameter bombs; JDAM tail kits that turn “dumb bombs” into precision munitions, 500-lb warheads and bomb fuzes.

In late spring, the US held up a shipment that included 500-lb bombs, but these were subsequently delivered.

Axios quotes a source saying that the State Department told Congress the deal is aimed at “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities.”

And it quoted a US official saying, “The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense.”