The US State Department has approved potential weapons sales to Israel totaling roughly $20 billion, including an anticipated sale of up to 50 F-15 fighter jets valued at more than $18 billion, reported from CNN.

The F-15 sale is believed to be the biggest weapons package for Israel and was announced alongside approved potential sales of medium tactical vehicles, medium-range air-to-air missiles, high-explosive mortar cartridges and tank cartridges. The notification of the State Department approval of those sales went to Congress on Tuesday, news releases from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

Weapons sales must be approved by Congress. In most circumstances, the administration formally informs Congress of the intended arms sales after informal discussions with the heads of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees. Once the sales are formally notified, as they were on Tuesday, lawmakers have 30 days to block them. They can do that by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.

Deliveries of the equipment will not begin for years. The aircraft, for example, are not expected to be delivered until 2029. Two key congressional Democrats gave their approval for the significant F-15 sale in June. CNN reported Friday that the State Department notified lawmakers it was providing $3.5 billion to Israel for the use of purchasing US weapons and military equipment.

Although the weapons will not be delivered for years, the sale is nonetheless likely to provoke an outcry from critics of the Biden administration’s policies toward the war in Gaza. The US government has come under sharp scrutiny for what some say is a failure to pressure Israel on its prosecution of the war, which has killed tens of thousands in the Palestinian enclave.





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