U.S. Approves $2.8 Billion Sale of ‘Large Bombs’ to Israel

[Financial News] The Donald Trump administration has approved the sale of $2.8 billion worth of large bombs to Israel, a U.S. government official said. The deal is one of the largest-ever arms support packages for Israel, coming as public sentiment toward the country deteriorates in the United States.
According to a report by The New York Times (NYT) on the 15th (local time), the deal includes 40,000 one-ton-class bombs. Their use in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon has caused mass civilian casualties and drawn international outrage.
One-ton-class bombs have a blast radius of 300 meters and can create craters up to 15 meters deep. Human rights groups and foreign governments have strongly criticized Israel, saying it has indiscriminately used large bombs while sacrificing dozens of civilians to eliminate a single target.
The United States Department of State recently sent the proposed sale to the relevant Senate and House committees of the United States Congress, seeking informal approval. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio can invoke emergency powers to push through the arms sale despite congressional opposition. If that happens, Congress would have to override the president’s veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers to block it.
Political opposition is also intensifying. Within the Democratic Party, some lawmakers are calling for a complete halt to military support for Israel because of civilian casualties.
Criticism has even emerged among Trump’s traditional supporters. Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as a “massacre” on social media, strongly arguing, “This arms support is a measure intended to prolong the war between Israel and Iran indefinitely.”
The approval shows that President Donald Trump continues to maintain a strong pro-Israel policy, despite recently clashing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over military operations in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Iran.
Israel argues that the use of large bombs is unavoidable because Hamas and Hezbollah hide in bunkers while using civilians as human shields. However, U.S. military experts have questioned whether Israel is ignoring alternatives with less destructive power, The Times reported.
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