WASHINGTON DC: The Trump administration is preparing a USD 2.8 billion arms package for Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, potentially making it the largest single US sale of the controversial munitions to the country in recent years, The Washington Post reported, citing a US official familiar with the matter.
According to The Washington Post, the proposed package would include 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, along with 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.
The transaction has been informally notified to congressional committees and is now being pressed for approval by the Trump administration.
The weapons package is estimated at USD 2.8 billion and would be financed through the US Foreign Military Financing programme, under which Washington provides funding that Israel uses to purchase American weapons.
A senior US administration official, when asked about humanitarian concerns surrounding the proposed transfer, told The Washington Post that, "All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales."
The proposed package would surpass previous US sales of 2,000-pound munitions to Israel during both the Biden and Trump administrations.
The Washington Post reported that a USD 2.04 billion sale in 2025 had also drawn controversy after being approved without the normal congressional review process.
The MK-84 is among the largest conventional bombs in the US arsenal and has been used extensively by Israel during its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. The munition can penetrate substantial structures and generate extensive blast and fragmentation effects.
The Biden administration had suspended one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. The policy was reversed by Trump after he returned to office in January 2025.
The proposed sale comes amid strains in the US-Israel relationship over Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and other issues, even as Washington continues to support Israeli defence requirements. (ANI)
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