The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to Israel, at a point of high tensions with Iran.
The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8-billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a statement.
“This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” it said.
Also in the package was a $1.8 billion sale of joint light tactical vehicles.
The United States sends billions of dollars worth of military supplies per year to Israel, largely in aid rather than sales.
Israel and Hamas reached a US-backed ceasefire in October that largely paused two years of war.
Tensions are high elsewhere in the region as the United States deploys a major military contingent in waters near Iran.
Israel last year carried out a major bombing campaign against nuclear and other military sites in Iran.
Iran has faced growing pressure after major protests against the clerical state, which has responded by killing thousands of protesters.
The Trump administration has said that the Gaza ceasefire is now in its second phase, with a focus on disarming Hamas.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally that includes hostages who died or were killed during their captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, at least 71,667 Palestinians have been killed in the small coastal territory by Israel’s retaliatory military campaign, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
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