Stabroek News

US has sent Israel thousands of 2,000-pound bombs since Oct. 7

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The Biden administra­tion has sent to Israel large numbers of munitions, including more than 10,000 highly destructiv­e 2,000pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the start of the war in Gaza, said two U.S. officials briefed on an updated list of weapons shipments.

Between the war’s start last October and recent days, the United States has transferre­d at least 14,000 of the MK84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunkerbust­er bombs, 2,600 air-dropped smalldiame­ter bombs, and other munitions, according to the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly.

While the officials didn’t give a timeline for the shipments, the totals suggest there has been no significan­t drop-off in U.S. military support for its ally, despite internatio­nal calls to limit weapons supplies and a recent administra­tion decision to pause a shipment of powerful bombs.

Experts said the contents of the shipments appear consistent with what Israel would need to replenish supplies used in this eight-month intense military campaign in Gaza, which it launched after the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinia­n Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

“While these numbers could be expended relatively quickly in a major conflict, this list clearly reflects a substantia­l level of support from the United States for our Israeli allies,” said Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and Internatio­nal Studies, adding that the listed munitions were the type Israel would use in its fight against Hamas or in a potential conflict with Hezbollah.

The delivery numbers, which have not been previously reported, provide the most up-to-date and extensive tally of munitions shipped to Israel since the Gaza war began.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since the start of the Gaza war, and concern is rising that an allout war could break out between the two sides.

The White House declined to comment. Israel’s Embassy in Washington did not immediatel­y respond to a request for comment.

The shipments are part of a bigger list of weapons sent to Israel since the Gaza conflict began, one of the U.S. officials said. A senior Biden administra­tion official on Wednesday told reporters that Washington has since Oct. 7 sent $6.5 billion worth of security assistance to Israel.