Biden administration is moving ahead on new $1 billion arms sale to Israel, congressional aides say

By SEUNG MIN KIM, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it plans to move ahead on more than $1 billion in arms sales to Israel. That’s according to three congressional aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public. One aide says it would be an entirely new sale. That means any weapons from the deal could take years to be delivered. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be pushed forward since the administration put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration says it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.