The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, according to US officials cited in media reports. The package comprises 20,000 MK-84s, 20,000 BLU-117s and 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.
The proposed deal, which would be financed largely through US Foreign Military Financing, has been informally notified to Congress but has not yet completed the formal approval process. A senior US administration official said foreign arms sales were proceeding through the appropriate process, while declining to comment on pending transactions.
A State Department spokesperson said the department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress.
The planned transfer comes as the US military faces reported shortages of some munitions following the war with Iran. A Pentagon inspector general report said the conflict had resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and identified bottlenecks in the production and resupply of key munitions.
The proposed package is also larger than previous US sales of 2,000-pound munitions to Israel in recent years. The weapons include MK-84 bombs, BLU-117 variants and I-2000 penetrator warheads designed for use against hardened targets.
The Biden administration had suspended one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. The Trump administration reversed that decision after returning to office in January 2025.
The proposed sale has already drawn opposition from some members of Congress. Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he would withhold approval over concerns about the potential use of the weapons in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon.
