White House blocks shipment of guided bombs used by IDF against Hamas and Hezbollah to send a message to Israel.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
The Biden administration has frozen the planned transfer of two kinds of smart bombs to Israel in order to send a message to Jerusalem regarding its war against Hamas, seven different sources have claimed.
Earlier this week, Axios reported that the Biden White House last week froze a weapons shipment to Israel, citing claims by two Israeli officials.
Reporting by The Wall Street Journal added that the weapons in question included aerial bombs.
On Tuesday, Politico reported that shipments in question include two types of guided bombs produced by Boeing which were prepared for transfer to Israel last week, before the Biden administration intervened at the last minute, ordering the company to halt the export of the weapons.
Seven sources, including one American official, were cited in Tuesday’s report.
The munitions in question include Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) bombs, equipment to convert the weapons to precision-guided bombs, and Small Diameter Bombs.
According to an American official cited by Politico, the White House withheld approval for the weapons transfer – usually a formality for such shipments.
Representatives of the State Department and the Pentagon both refused to comment on the report, though Major General Pat Ryder told reporters Monday he was unaware of any change to American policy regarding military aid to Israel.
According to a senior congressional aide and two other sources, including a member of the arms industry, the Biden administration informed Boeing immediately prior to the planned departure of the shipment that the sale was being held up for “political reasons.”
Israel has indicated it will move forward with its long-awaited ground operation in Rafah, the last stronghold of the Hamas terror organization in Gaza.
After a Hamas rocket attack over the weekend from Rafah killed four IDF soldiers at a checkpoint used for the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Israel ordered 100,000 of the roughly 1,000,000 Gazans currently residing in Rafah to evacuate.
In addition, IDF forces seized control of the Gazan-side of the Egypt-Gaza border adjacent to Rafah.
The Biden administration has staunchly opposed the Rafah operation as it is currently proposed, claiming that Israel does not have an actionable plan to ensure the safety of Gaza civilians in the area.
The White House has warned that if Israel moves forward with the operation over American objections, it could jeopardize the U.S.-Israel relationship.