Posted on 05/16/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Despite the US administration's threat to freeze arms shipments to Israel, due to the IDF's ground maneuver in Rafah, the arms shipment that had recently been delayed has arrived in Israel, Kan 11 News reported on Thursday.
A US official said that the decision to resume the transfer of weapons was made after Israel undertook to inform the United States in advance before expanding the ground maneuver in Rafah.
The decision to unfreeze the shipment was made after a visit by the commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, to Israel at the end of last week.
The shipment of weapons arrived in an American transport plane from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which houses US troops, to the Israel Air Force Base in Nevatim.
Last week, the White House confirmed it had paused a shipment of bombs to Israel due to US opposition to a planned Israeli attack on the Gazan city of Rafah.
The shipment which was paused was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, a US official told The Associated Press last week.
A day later, President Joe Biden warned that he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Speaking to CNN, Biden said that while the US would continue to provide defensive weapons to Israel, including for its Iron Dome air defense system, other shipments would end should a major ground invasion of Rafah begin.
Earlier this week, however, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration notified Congress that it is moving forward with more than $1 billion in new weapons deals for Israel.
The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the officials said.