US approves 'emergency' sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel worth $151M

The Trump administration has approved a possible $151.8 million weapons sale to Israel, invoking "emergency" authority to waive congressional review requirements as Washington and Tel Aviv continue attacks on Iran.

According to a statement from the US State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on Friday, the proposed sale includes 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies weighing 1,000 pounds each, along with engineering, logistics and technical support services.

"The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel," the agency said.

The move waives congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act.

The principal contractor for the proposed sale will be Repkon USA, based in Garland, Texas, according to the statement.

Part of the bomb bodies will be transferred from existing US military stock.

The approval comes amid escalating regional tensions following joint US-Israeli war on Iran launched on February 28.

The war have killed more than 1,300 people, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than 150 schoolgirls and senior military officials.

The war has triggered wider instability across the region and prompted retaliatory attacks by Tehran targeting US-linked sites.

A drone strike in Kuwait killed six US service members at a tactical operations centre.

‘A different story’

The approval also comes as criticism in the US Congress over weapons transfers to Israel has increased during Israel's genocide in Gaza.

In July, a record 27 Democratic senators voted in favour of a resolution to block certain weapons sales to Israel, citing concerns over civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The measure ultimately failed to pass.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing congressional review of the arms sale "exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration's case for war."

"The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war," Meeks said in a statement.

"Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story."

"This is an emergency of the Trump administration's own creation."

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Source: TRT