The United States announced on Friday (August 9th) that it will provide $3.5 billion in aid to Israel for the purchase of American weapons and military equipment. The funding was approved by the U.S. Congress several months ago to support Israel during the conflict in Gaza.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated on Friday that the State Department had informed Congress on Thursday of the government’s intention to provide Israel with billions of dollars in foreign military aid.
This funding is part of a $14 billion supplemental appropriations bill passed by the U.S. Congress in April this year to support Israel.
The tension in the Middle East has been escalating, with concerns rising that the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could escalate, leading to tens of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis.
On July 30th, Ismail Haniyeh, a top Hamas leader and the mastermind behind the attack on Israel last October 7th, was assassinated in Tehran, Iran, shortly after attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
On the same day, Israel bombed a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, killing the organization’s top military commander Fuad Shukr, in response to a previous attack on an Israeli soccer field that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and teenagers.
Following these incidents, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah have threatened retaliation against Israel, raising concerns that the Middle East conflict could escalate and spread to a larger scale.
The United States has been working to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and has been making diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation of the conflict amid the recent heightened tensions in the Middle East. However, the Biden administration has reiterated its commitment to continue supporting Israel’s right to self-defense.