The weapons are expected to reach Israel in the coming weeks, a US government official said. Additional bombs weighing 2,000 pounds, which were also supposed to be part of the shipment, are still waiting.
In May, Axios cited two Israeli officials as saying that the Biden administration stopped a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel last week. According to the report, the incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held.
The report was later confirmed by a senior US administration official, who cited concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The official said the decision to pause the shipment was made last week and no final decision had been made yet on whether to proceed with the shipment at a later date.
Following the reports, the US decided to unfreeze part of the shipment, after Israel undertook to inform the United States in advance before expanding the ground maneuver in Rafah.
In June, reports said that the Biden administration was expected to release 500-pound bombs that were part of the frozen weapons shipment to Israel, allowing about 1,700 500-lb. bombs to be delivered after Israel's operation in Rafah ends.
At the same time, US and Israeli officials said the Biden administration was still reviewing another part of the shipment that includes 1,800 2,000-pound bombs. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
