The Biden administration is moving forward with a $680 million arms program for Israel, a US official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Wednesday, while insisting that the sale is not linked to the ceasefire. fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force a few hours earlier. The Financial Times revealed the sale of thousands of Joint Directly Guided Munitions (JDAM) kits, shortly after Biden administration officials denied reports that Washington had agreed to transfer additional weapons to Israel in exchange for his agreement on the Lebanese issue.
“There are constantly programs that are progressing at different stages. This has nothing to do with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” the US official said. Another official clarified: “This file has been ongoing for some time. Deliveries are not expected to begin for at least a year, and this must be seen in the context of long-term support for Israel's defense.”
The State Department stressed that any transfer of weapons is carried out in accordance with US law, which prohibits their use in the commission of war crimes or by countries that block the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. “We have made it clear that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law,” he added.
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States was delaying arms deliveries to Israel, delays that would end soon, referring to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. The Biden administration immediately denied the allegations, saying only a batch of 2,000-pound bombs was withheld out of fear they would be used in densely populated areas.
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