WASHINGTON: The US State Department approved the “emergency” sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel on Friday (Mar 7) as the countries engage Iran in an escalating Middle East war.
The requested sale of 450kg bomb casings, worth an estimated US$151.8 million, was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, according to a press release.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the bureau said in a statement.
In addition to the munitions, the sale will include US government and contract engineering, logistics and technical support services, according to the release.
Major US defence companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday, a week after the US and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.