Arabic version: إدارة ترامب تستعد لبيع قنابل لإسرائيل بقيمة 2.8 مليار دولار
According to Al Jazeera, the Trump administration is preparing a $2.8bn sale to Israel of 907kg (2,000-pound) bombs, described in reports by The Washington Post and AFP as the largest single sale of the munition in recent years. The package has been informally notified to congressional committees.
The Foreign Military Financing-funded package would include 40,000 bombs: 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, a thermally coated MK-84 variant designed for safer naval storage. It would also include I-2000 Penetrator warheads intended to strike hardened underground structures.
The Post reported that an administration official said all foreign arms sales were moving through the appropriate process. The State Department said it does not comment on proposed sales before formal notification to Congress. The MK-84 was described by the Post as among the most destructive munitions in Western arsenals, capable of sending metal fragments hundreds of metres and tearing through thick concrete.
Israel has used 907kg bombs hundreds of times in Gaza and Lebanon, including in areas designated safe for civilians, prompting criticism from rights groups. Joe Biden’s administration paused one shipment in 2024 over civilian casualty concerns before Trump reversed the pause in his first month back in office.
US Senator Chris Van Hollen said he would work to block the sale. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and commentator Tucker Carlson also criticised the proposed package. Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group said the sale sends a vote of confidence to Israel while the administration says it wants to calm the region.
