US approves $20 billion weapons sale to Israel amid regional tensions

The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel , including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.

Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120mm tank ammunition, high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. The move comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.

However, the weapons are not expected to get to Israel anytime soon, with the contracts slated to take years to fulfill. Much of what is being sold is to help Israel increase its military capability in the long term. The earliest systems being delivered under the contract aren’t expected until the 2026 timeframe.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a release. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”

The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with a growing number of calls from lawmakers and the U.S. public to halt military support there due to the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. It has curbed one delivery of 2,000-pound weapons amid continued airstrikes by Israel in densely populated civilian areas in Gaza .

The contracts will cover not only the sale of 50 new aircraft to be produced by Boeing, but will also include upgrade kits — new engines and radars, among other upgrades — for Israel to modify its existing fleet of two dozen F-15 fighter jets.

The jets comprise the biggest portion of the $20 billion in sales, with the first deliveries expected in 2029.

Tara Copp is a Pentagon correspondent for the Associated Press. She was previously Pentagon bureau chief for Sightline Media Group.

美国国务院周二宣布，美国已批准向以色列出售价值 200 亿美元的武器，其中包括数十架战斗机和先进的空对空导弹。

国会已获悉即将进行的军售，其中包括50多架F-15战斗机、先进中程空空导弹（AMRAAM）、120毫米坦克炮弹、高爆迫击炮和战术车辆。此举正值人们高度担忧以色列可能卷入更大规模的中东战争之际。

然而，这些武器预计不会很快交付以色列，合同的履行需要数年时间。此次出售的大部分武器旨在帮助以色列从长远角度提升其军事能力。根据合同，最早交付的系统预计要到2026年才能交付。

美国国务院在一份声明中表示：“美国致力于维护以色列的安全，帮助以色列发展和维持强大且随时可用的自卫能力符合美国的国家利益。此次拟议的军售符合这些目标。”

拜登政府不得不权衡对以色列的持续支持与来自国会议员和美国公众日益高涨的停止对以色列军事援助的呼声，因为加沙地带平民死亡人数居高不下。在以色列持续空袭加沙人口稠密的平民区之际，美国政府已限制了一次2000磅武器的交付。

这些合同不仅涵盖波音公司生产的 50 架新飞机的销售，还将包括升级套件（包括新发动机和雷达等升级），供以色列改装其现有的 24 架 F-15 战斗机。

这些喷气式飞机占200亿美元销售额的最大部分，预计将于2029年首次交付。

塔拉·科普是美联社驻五角大楼记者。她此前曾担任Sightline媒体集团驻五角大楼分社社长。