The US State Department approved the sale of ammunition to Israel worth an estimated $151.8 million. This procedure was done bypassing the normal review in Congress, after declaring a state of emergency with the aim of expediting the completion of the deal.
In a statement issued by it, the ministry explained that Secretary of State Marco Rubio saw that there were urgent circumstances that required the immediate implementation of this deal, in light of the current military developments in the region, which came a week after the start of the attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran.
The statement stated that Israel requested the purchase of 12,000 BLU-110A/B multi-purpose bombs, each weighing approximately 1,000 pounds. The American company “Repcon”, headquartered in Texas, will undertake the bulk of the implementation of this deal.
The State Department confirmed that Rubio considered the sale of these munitions “in the interest of US national security,” which prompted him to activate emergency powers that allow him to bypass the congressional review process.
On the other hand, this decision sparked criticism within Congress, as Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks stated that resorting to emergency powers reflects, in his estimation, a lack of sufficient preparedness on the part of the US administration for war with Iran.
Meeks added in his statement that the rush to bypass Congress raises question marks about the management of the war, considering that what is happening is “an emergency created by the administration itself.”
This deal comes in the midst of an ongoing military escalation in the Middle East, as the United States participates alongside Israel in launching strikes targeting military sites inside Iran, while Tehran responds with missile attacks and the use of drones.
