Scoop: U.S. to release part of suspended bomb shipment to Israel
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An Israeli soldier in a house damaged by an Hezbollah anti-tank missile near the Lebanon border in Kibbutz Hanita, northern Israel, on Jun. 19, 2024. Photo: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Biden administration is expected to soon release 500-lb. bombs that were part of a weapons shipment to Israel put on hold in April over U.S. concerns about the Israel Defense Forces' military operation in Rafah, one U.S. and one Israeli official told Axios.
The big picture: The move suggests the U.S. is now less concerned about Israel possibly using these bombs in Gaza and that the White House wants to decrease some of the tension between President Biden and Israel's supporters over his decision to withhold this specific shipment.
- About 1,700 500-lb. bombs are expected to be delivered after Israel's operation in Rafah ends, which is expected to happen in two weeks, according to an Israeli official.
- Israel says it needs the bombs in case fighting with Hezbollah on the northern border escalates into an all out war.
Yes, but: U.S. and Israeli officials say the Biden administration is still reviewing another part of the shipment that includes 1,800 2,000-lb. bombs.
Catch up quick: In early May, Axios reported that Biden decided to put on hold a weapons shipment that was supposed to be sent to Israel.
- Several days later, U.S. officials confirmed that the weapons shipment, which included 1,800 2,000-lb. bombs and 1,700 500-lb. bombs was put on hold due to concerns about a possible Israeli operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians were sheltering.
- A day later, Biden said in an interview with CNN that if Israel invaded Rafah, the U.S. would stop supplying it with artillery shells, bombs for fighter jets and other offensive weapons.
- Israeli and U.S. officials tried to solve the issue for several weeks in private conversations, but last week Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video accusing Biden of stopping weapons supply to Israel.
- Netanyahu's comments created a crisis and led to the cancellation of a strategic meeting between the U.S. and Israel on Iran.
Driving the news: After talks in Washington this week, the U.S. and Israel managed to resolve some of the problems that have slowed down U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, Axios reported on Wednesday.
- U.S. and Israeli officials said the release of the 500-lb. bombs was one of the issues discussed, including in the meeting between Israel's Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and senior White House officials.
- The officials said the solution was to separate the 500-lb. bombs from the rest of the shipment, which includes the 2,000-lb. bombs that are still on hold.
"During the meetings in Washington, we were told that the 500-lb. bombs will be released after the Rafah operation is over in two weeks," an Israeli official said.
- A source with direct knowledge of the meetings with Gallant said White House officials clarified there is no hold on the 500-lb. bombs and that the pause is only on the 2,000-lb. bombs.
- The source claimed the 500-lb. bombs were never withheld as matter of policy, but got "intermingled" with the 2,000-lb. bombs in the same shipment.
- A U.S. official said the White House's main concern from day one was the Israeli use of the 2,000-lb. bombs in Gaza, which the administration thought was inappropriate.
- The White House declined to comment.
The intrigue: Senior U.S. and Israeli officials said the 2,000-lb. bomb shipment was not resolved during Gallant's visit and it continues to be reviewed.
- During a visit to White House last Thursday, Biden's advisers told Israeli minister Ron Dermer and national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi that Netanyahu's video harmed the efforts to release the bombs shipment.
- Two U.S. officials said Biden's advisers told Dermer and Hanegbi the shipment would not be released now because "the President was not taking orders from Netanyahu."
