The Biden administration is pressing Congress to approve a plan to sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel, as President Biden resists calls to limit U.S. arms sales to Israel over its military offensive in Gaza.
The State Department recently sent an informal notice to two congressional committees to start a legislative review process for the order, a first step toward the department’s giving formal authorization for the transfer of up to 50 of the planes.
The F-15 order was reported earlier by Politico and CNN and confirmed by two U.S. officials.
The deal, which would be one of the largest U.S. arms sales to Israel in years, would also include munitions, training and other support.
Although the United States has expedited some arms for Israel’s current campaign against Hamas, the F-15s would not be delivered for at least five years, the U.S. officials said.
Persons:
Biden
Organizations:
State Department, Politico, CNN, Hamas
Locations:
Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S