US approves $6.6bn sale of attack helicopters, assault vehicles to Israel

The approved merchantability includes 30 Apache helicopters, which Israeli forces person utilized to onslaught Palestinians amid the genocide successful Gaza.

Washington has approved $6.67bn successful United States arms income to Israel amid a fragile ceasefire successful Israel’s genocidal warfare connected the Gaza Strip.

The US Department of State said connected Friday that Israel has been cleared to bargain US-made weapons, including 30 Apache onslaught helicopters for $3.8bn and infantry battle vehicles to a worth of $1.98bn.

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The Apache helicopters volition beryllium sold to Israel by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Reuters quality bureau reports. A 3rd subject declaration was besides awarded for $740m, according to Reuters, and different $150m volition beryllium spent connected airy inferior helicopters.

Israeli forces person wide utilized Apache helicopters to occurrence connected Palestinians successful the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, wherever astatine slightest 71,662 radical person been killed successful Israel’s warfare connected the enclave since October 2023, according to Gaza wellness officials.

“The United States is committed to the information of Israel, and it is captious to US nationalist interests to assistance Israel to make and support a beardown and acceptable self-defense capability,” the State Department said successful a connection connected Friday.

“This projected merchantability is accordant with those objectives,” the section said.

The US besides sends billions of dollars worthy of subject supplies each twelvemonth to Israel, weaponry which is largely sent arsenic aid alternatively than sales.

Rights groups and United Nations experts person consistently called connected the US to halt weapons shipments to Israel, which they accidental fuelled Israel’s quality to wage a genocidal warfare successful Gaza.

While the ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas successful the Gaza Strip has mostly held since taking effect connected October 10, 2025, Israeli forces proceed to motorboat attacks connected Palestinians successful the war-torn territory, sidesplitting astir 500 radical contempt the statement to extremity fighting.

The State Department besides said connected Friday that it had approved a $9bn merchantability to Saudi Arabia for 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment, which is utilized to support against incoming attacks.

“This enhanced capableness volition support onshore forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and section allies and volition importantly amended Saudi Arabia’s contribution” to the integrated aerial and rocket defence strategy successful the region, the State Department said.

The merchantability of the US rocket defence instrumentality comes arsenic US President Donald Trump has said that a ample “armada” of US warships has been repositioned adjacent to Iran, successful anticipation of a imaginable US onslaught connected Tehran.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian successful a telephone earlier this week that the kingdom would “not let its airspace oregon territory to beryllium utilized for immoderate subject actions against Iran oregon for immoderate attacks from immoderate party, careless of their origin”.