The Trump administration greenlit a $2.8 billion arms deal to supply Israel with thousands of heavy-duty 2,000-pound bombs, signaling a significant expansion of military aid.
The proposed package encompasses 40,000 one-ton munitions that are split evenly between standard MK-84s and BLU-117s along with 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads designed to smash through deep underground soil, rock, and concrete before detonating.
While the State Department has submitted the proposed sale for informal congressional review, Secretary of State Marco Rubio retains emergency authority to bypass Capitol Hill, where a two-thirds majority in both chambers would be required to block the transaction.
The move fully cements a policy reversal from the Biden era, which paused a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs meant for Israel. The current administration quickly unblocked that shipment upon taking office and approved an initial $2.7 billion weapons transfer shortly thereafter.
The rationale for providing these munitions comes from the reality of fortified underground warfare. John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, has emphasized that 2,000-pound bombs ...