The U.S. Department of State approved selling $151.8 million in munitions to Israel without congressional approval.
The State Department waived the congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act after Israel requested 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose, 1,000-pound bomb bodies.
A BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb with a steel body and a section in the nose for a proximity sensor. It’s often used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.
Some of the BLU-110 A/B will be transferred from stock, while the Texas-based company Repkon USA will take the lead as the principal contractor.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the secretary of state added.
The sale will include U.S. government and contractor engineering, logistics, and technical support services.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
The sale was approved by the State Department nearly one week into the U.S. and Israel’s war against the Iranian regime, which started on Feb. 28.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the war in Iran during the Shield of Americas Summit on March 7 and revealed that the attack against the regime had knocked out 42 Navy ships in three days.
“That was the end of the Navy,” Trump said. “We knocked out their air force. We knocked out their communications. And all telecommunications is gone. I don’t know how they communicate, but I guess they will figure something out.
