Washington: The US Department of Defense has announced a new arms shipment to Israel valued at approximately $3 billion, including bombs and demolition equipment. This decision, made on an emergency basis, was communicated to Congress on Friday afternoon, bypassing the usual extended procedures typically required for such deals.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the package encompasses three stages, beginning with the delivery of 35,529 bombs and 4,000 bunker-busting bombs, all weighing about a thousand kilograms and manufactured by General Dynamics. While the Pentagon anticipates deliveries starting in 2026, it noted the possibility of sourcing some of these arms from existing US stockpiles, suggesting immediate availability for some items.

The second stage, valued at $675 million, includes 5,000 bombs weighing approximately 500 kilograms each, alongside equipment designed to convert unguided bombs into guided ones. This segment of the shipment is scheduled for delivery by 2028.

The third notification involves Caterpillar bulldozers worth $295 million. This announcement marks the second emergency arms sale to Israel within a month under the Trump Administration, leveraging emergency powers that were previously enacted by former President Joe Biden to authorize swift arms deals with Israel without congressional scrutiny.

In a related development, the Trump administration recently overturned a Biden-era mandate requiring the reporting of potential international law violations related to US-provided weapons. This policy shift underscores the administration's ongoing efforts to expedite arms transactions with allied nations, including Israel.