Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday that he signed a declaration promoting the delivery of roughly $4 billion of military aid to Israel, reversing the partial arms blockage imposed during the Biden administration.
“The decision to reverse the Biden administration’s partial arms embargo, which mistakenly withheld many arms and ammunition from Israel, is another indication that Israel does not have a much larger alliance in the White House than President Trump,” Rubio said in a statement.
The announcement comes as a solution to achieving a permanent ceasefire between longtime American ally Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major foreign military sales to Israel, Rubio said.
Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza after Hamas rejects proposal to expand its ceasefire
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he used emergency powers to promote the provision of nearly $4 billion worth of military aid to Israel. (AP photo/Mark Sieferbein, pool)
“This important decision coincides with President Trump’s repealing of the Biden-era memorandum, which imposed unfounded political conditions on military aid to Israel as our close allies fought a war of survival on multiple fronts with Iran and the proxies of terrorism,” Rubio continued.
The announcement came two days after the State Department said it had approved the potential sale of nearly $3 billion in bombs, demolition kits and other weapons, according to the Associated Press.
Hamas will release more hostages in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal
Department of Defense outside the Pentagon in Washington, DC (Mandel NGAN/AFP by Getty Images)
The sale includes approximately 40,000 defence items, including 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, as well as 4,000 predator warheads worth $2.04 billion.
The weapon is expected to be delivered in 2026. However, some items may be ready for immediate shipping as “part of this procurement may come from US stocks.”
Fox News Digital contacted the State Department for more information but did not receive an immediate response.
The test pilot emits several MK-84 bombs. (USAF)
Rubio also reportedly reportedly approved a second package of $675 million ammunition sales in 2028.
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“The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to meet America’s long-standing commitment to Israel’s security, including measures to combat the security threat,” Rubio said in a statement Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bonny Chu is the digital production assistant at Fox News Digital.
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