The munitions shipment "serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States," said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
February 16, 2025 10:09
ByJoshua Marks, Jewish News Syndicate
Israel received a shipment of MK-84 munitions overnight Saturday in a joint operation of the Israeli Defense Ministry and the United States government.
The 2,000-pound bombs were unloaded at Ashdod Port and transferred to Israeli Air Force bases, according to a Sunday morning Defense Ministry statement.
"The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the [Israel Defense Forces] and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States," said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
"In our recent conversation, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reaffirmed America's commitment to continue providing Israel with all necessary tools to ensure its security," Katz continued.
"I thank President Donald Trump and the U.S. Administration for their unwavering support of the State of Israel. We will continue working together to strengthen our security," he concluded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 26 hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to lift a partial arms embargo the Biden administration had imposed on Jerusalem during Israel's war against Hamas.
“Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to confront our common enemies and to secure a future of peace and prosperity,” the premier said in a video message.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One in January , Trump said that he had lifted restrictions on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
“We released them today,” he said. When asked why, he replied: “Because they bought them.”
In return, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed his appreciation for the decision.
“Thank you President Trump for yet another display of leadership by releasing the crucial defense shipment to Israel. The region is safer when Israel has what it needs to defend itself,” tweeted Sa’ar.
Biden suspended the delivery of these weapons in May to discourage an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city Rafah. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden told CNN at the time.
A month later, Netanyahu told then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken that it was “inconceivable” for the administration to withhold weapons and ammunition during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
“When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else. I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel,” the premier said in a video message.
“Israel, America’s closest ally, [is] fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies,” Netanyahu continued. “Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case.
“During World War II, Churchill told the United States, ‘Give us the tools, we’ll do the job.’ And I say, give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster,” said Netanyahu.