Israel on Monday received its 500th aerial shipment of weapons and military supplies from the United States as part of a large-scale logistical effort that began with the outbreak of the war following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
The operation is a collaboration between the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Production and Procurement and Mission to the United States, the IDF’s Planning Directorate and the Israeli Air Force.
Over 50,000 tons of military equipment has been delivered to Israel via 500 flights and 107 sea shipments as part of the initiative.
The equipment procured includes armored vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear and medical equipment, which are crucial for sustaining the IDF’s operational capabilities during the ongoing war.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “active and ongoing U.S. efforts to support Israel’s defense against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” per a White House readout of the call.
That support includes “ongoing defensive U.S. military deployments,” the White House said.
In his July 24 speech to Congress, Netanyahu called on lawmakers to fast-track military aid as a means to “dramatically expedite” an end to the war in Gaza and prevent all-out war on the Jewish state’s northern border and other fronts.
The month before, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the Biden Administration of imposing a partial arms embargo on Israel.
“This is what is most disturbing to me—is that we’re withholding weapon systems that I have signed off on and Congress has appropriated with the intent of sending those weapons to Israel. That is not helping Israel,” said McCaul.
On June 18, Netanyahu publicly upbraided the Biden administration for its decision, stating, “it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition” from Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied the charge, saying the administration only held up a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs but that all of the other arms deliveries are moving forward.
