Reports on Sunday said a shipment of U.S. ammunition destined for Israel last week was halted by the Biden administration for reasons not yet disclosed.
Israeli authorities remained puzzled as to why the shipment was withheld, Axios reportmeanwhile CNN declares The decision was unrelated to U.S. opposition to the invasion of Rafah, a Hamas terror stronghold in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Biden administration recently signed off on $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists, but officials said they are heading to Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are fleeing the war. He has repeatedly warned against emigration.
An Israeli soldier stands on top of an armored personnel carrier and prepares a machine gun before entering the Gaza Strip, April 10, 2024, in southern Israel. (Amir Levi/Getty Images)
In a statement to The Hill, the National Security Council said there was no change in the Biden administration’s support for Israel, summarizing:
The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks, passing the largest-ever additional spending in emergency aid to Israel and establishing precedent-setting measures to protect Israel from Iranian attack. He is leading a coalition that will continue to do what is necessary. This is to ensure that Israel is protected from the threats it faces.
This is the first time since the October 7 terrorist attacks that the United States has suspended arms shipments to the Israeli military.
The White House has made it clear multiple times that it does not support Israel’s expansion into Rafah.
As Breitbart News reported, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last month that it was even possible for Israel to have a “credible plan” for an invasion of Rafah that the White House would support. It’s not clear.”
Israeli soldiers pack ammunition at a staging area in southern Israel near the border with Gaza on January 2, 2024. (Maya Hitiji/Getty Images)
Israel has previously said it considers the Biden administration to be “sluggish” in providing military aid, including urgently needed ammunition.
The Israelis are determined to win the war. Columnist Caroline Glick, who has long advocated returning Israeli arms production from the United States to Israel, said “50,000” Israeli volunteers would show up to make weapons if asked.
update: of era of israel report Israel announced that deliveries of ammunition continued as normal.
In an interview with Ynet, an Israeli official downplayed the Axios report, saying that “to this day, a series of defense shipments continue to be sent from the United States to Israel.”
“It’s possible that some shipments will be delayed, but it’s continuing and we’re not aware of any policy decisions to stop it,” the official added.
Israeli government spokesman David Mensah told Breitbart News on Monday that he had not seen any reports that U.S. ammunition shipments had been halted.
