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US approves emergency weapons sale to Israel amid escalating war with Iran

By The South Asia Times

WASHINGTON - The United States has approved an emergency weapons sale worth about $151.8 million to Israel, bypassing normal congressional review procedures as fighting with Iran continues to intensify, Anadolu reported on Saturday.

According to the United States Department of State, the package includes about 12,000 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bomb bodies along with engineering, logistics and technical support services. Officials said the sale was authorized under emergency provisions of the Arms Export Control Act, allowing the administration to waive standard congressional oversight.

The decision comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran has sharply escalated since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iranian targets. The strikes have reportedly killed more than 1,000 people across Iran, many of them civilians, including women and children, according to regional reports.

The fighting has triggered retaliatory actions by Tehran against US and Israeli-linked assets across the Middle East, raising fears of a wider regional confrontation.

Washington said the weapons sale is intended to support Israel’s defense capabilities during the ongoing crisis.

However, the move is likely to face criticism from some lawmakers in the United States, where debate over arms transfers to Israel has intensified in recent months amid concerns about civilian casualties and the broader humanitarian impact of regional conflicts