Rubio Accelerates US Weapon Deliveries to Israel
State Secretary Marco Rubio has approved a declaration aimed at hastening the provision of around $4 billion in military aid to Israel. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
**Former President Biden Had Blocked Several Bomb Shipments Over the Gaza War**
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a declaration aimed at expediting approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel, highlighting President Donald Trump as a significant ally for the Jewish state, according to a statement released on Saturday.
This action is part of the broader strategy of the Trump administration to enhance Israel's defense capabilities amid escalating regional tensions. Since taking office on January 20, the Trump administration has reportedly authorized nearly $12 billion in significant foreign military sales to Israel.
“This important decision coincides with President Trump’s repeal of a Biden-era memorandum, which had imposed baseless and politicized conditions on military assistance to Israel at a time when our close ally was fighting a war of survival on multiple fronts against Iran and terror proxies,” Rubio stated on Saturday.
Earlier last Friday, the Pentagon announced the State Department's approval for the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits, and additional weaponry to Israel. This emergency approval bypassed the standard congressional review process, marking the second occasion in recent weeks of expedited arms sales to Israel during a fragile ceasefire with Hamas militants—a conflict that has thus far resulted in over 1,700 Israeli and 62,000 Palestinian fatalities.
The United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for more than two-thirds of the Jewish state’s weapons imports. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, the US allocated $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to October 2024.
In February, former President Joe Biden instructed the Pentagon and State Department to “obtain certain assurances” regarding Israel’s use of US-made weaponry in Gaza. The resulting report indicated that the “nature of the conflict in Gaza makes it difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents,” and that Washington has not yet acquired “complete information to verify whether US defense articles” led to civilian casualties.
In May, Biden temporarily halted the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, indicating that further weapons could be embargoed should the Israel Defense Forces pursue an invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. Despite this, the IDF proceeded into Rafah, and Biden ultimately lifted the temporary freeze on arms.
The State Department has commended the recent decision to overturn Biden’s “partial arms embargo” as “yet another sign that Israel has no greater ally in the White House than President Trump.” Secretary Rubio invoked emergency authority to accelerate this assistance, citing the national security interests of the United States.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a declaration aimed at expediting approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel, highlighting President Donald Trump as a significant ally for the Jewish state, according to a statement released on Saturday.
This action is part of the broader strategy of the Trump administration to enhance Israel's defense capabilities amid escalating regional tensions. Since taking office on January 20, the Trump administration has reportedly authorized nearly $12 billion in significant foreign military sales to Israel.
“This important decision coincides with President Trump’s repeal of a Biden-era memorandum, which had imposed baseless and politicized conditions on military assistance to Israel at a time when our close ally was fighting a war of survival on multiple fronts against Iran and terror proxies,” Rubio stated on Saturday.
Earlier last Friday, the Pentagon announced the State Department's approval for the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits, and additional weaponry to Israel. This emergency approval bypassed the standard congressional review process, marking the second occasion in recent weeks of expedited arms sales to Israel during a fragile ceasefire with Hamas militants—a conflict that has thus far resulted in over 1,700 Israeli and 62,000 Palestinian fatalities.
The United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for more than two-thirds of the Jewish state’s weapons imports. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, the US allocated $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to October 2024.
In February, former President Joe Biden instructed the Pentagon and State Department to “obtain certain assurances” regarding Israel’s use of US-made weaponry in Gaza. The resulting report indicated that the “nature of the conflict in Gaza makes it difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents,” and that Washington has not yet acquired “complete information to verify whether US defense articles” led to civilian casualties.
In May, Biden temporarily halted the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, indicating that further weapons could be embargoed should the Israel Defense Forces pursue an invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. Despite this, the IDF proceeded into Rafah, and Biden ultimately lifted the temporary freeze on arms.
The State Department has commended the recent decision to overturn Biden’s “partial arms embargo” as “yet another sign that Israel has no greater ally in the White House than President Trump.” Secretary Rubio invoked emergency authority to accelerate this assistance, citing the national security interests of the United States.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
