This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvne94v1rdo
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Biden plans to send $8bn arms shipment to Israel | Biden plans to send $8bn arms shipment to Israel |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The US Department of State has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, an American official has confirmed to the BBC. | The US Department of State has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, an American official has confirmed to the BBC. |
| The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes air-to-air missiles to be used against airborne threats, including drones, the official said. | The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes air-to-air missiles to be used against airborne threats, including drones, the official said. |
| The move comes just over a fortnight before President Joe Biden leaves office. Washington has rejected calls to suspend military backing for Israel because of the number of civilians killed during the war in Gaza. | |
| In August, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel. | In August, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel. |
| A source familiar with the latest sale told the BBC on Saturday: "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 defence." | |
| Biden has often described US support for Israel as iron-clad. | |
| The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, having helped it build one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries in the world. | |
| According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 69% of Israel's imports of major conventional arms between 2019 and 2023. | |
| Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. | |
| More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. |