US approves sale to Israel of $20 billion weapons package

By Kanishka Singh and Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Tuesday approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel as it prosecutes a 10-month-old war in the Gaza Strip although the Pentagon said deliveries would not begin for years.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion along with tank cartridges valued at $774 million, explosive mortar cartridges valued at over $60 million and army vehicles worth $583 million, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets were expected to take years to produce, and deliveries were expected to begin in 2029. Other equipment would begin delivery in 2026, according to the Pentagon.

An expert on the process said some deliveries could be even earlier than 2026.

"The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability," the Pentagon said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a post on X, thanked U.S. officials for helping Israel maintain "its qualitative military edge in the region" and the U.S. commitment to Israel's security.

The U.S., Israel's biggest ally and weapons supplier, has sent Israel more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles since the start of the Gaza war in October, U.S. officials told Reuters in June.

The war has devastated Gaza and resulted in a heavy civilian death toll. Hoping to avert a wider Middle East war, Washington has sought with other regional mediators to arrange a ceasefire.

President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase Gaza ceasefire proposal on May 31. But efforts have so far been unsuccessful in bringing it to fruition.

The latest bloodshed in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry. It has also displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.

Washington has faced mounting domestic and international criticism for its military support for Israel.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Rami Ayyub, Humeyra Pamuk and Cynthia Osterman)