The US is preparing its largest single sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, worth approximately $2.8 billion, in recent years, according to a Tuesday Washington Post report citing a US official.
The package will reportedly consist of 40,000of the 2,000-pound bombs, including 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s. The official told the Washington Post that the sale also included 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.
According to the report, congressional committees have been informally notified of the pending transaction.
The Trump administration is also allegedly pressuring leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to approve the sale.
The sale will be financed through the US’s Foreign Military Financing mechanism, and Israel will purchase the arms with grants provided through the mechanism.
MK-84 munitions can penetrate concrete, metal
The arms package is larger than previous US sales of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, including a 2025 sale worth $2.04 billion.
The Washington Post described the MK-84 as “among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals,” noting that the munition can penetrate through metal and thick concrete.
Israel has faced criticism for using the MK-84 in its efforts to combat terrorist organizations, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
When probed on the potential humanitarian concerns that could result from the sale and use of the munition, a senior Trump administration official told the Washington Post that “all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process,” adding that they would not elaborate on any pending arms sales.