US preparing for $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, including over 40,000 bombs - report

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Defense NewsThe package will reportedly consist of 40,000 of the 2,000-pound bombs, including 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s.Follow us on GoogleA screengrab from a video released by CENTCOM shows a flight deck crew member signaling an F‑35 jet on an aircraft carrier, in this image obtained from social media released on February 28, 2026(photo credit: US CENTCOM)SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 01:00Updated: SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 02:33The US is preparing its largest single sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, worth approximately $2.8 billion, in recent years, according to a Tuesday Washington Post report citing a US official.The package will reportedly consist of 40,000 of the 2,000-pound bombs, including 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s. The official told the Washington Post that the sale also included 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. The Washington Post described the MK-84 as “among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals,” noting that the munition can penetrate through metal and thick concrete.According to the report, congressional committees have been informally notified of the pending transaction.The Trump administration is also allegedly pressuring leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to approve the sale.The sale will be financed through the US’s Foreign Military Financing mechanism, and Israel will purchase the arms with grants provided through the mechanism.The arms package is larger than previous US sales of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, including a 2025 sale worth $2.04 billion.This is a developing story.Follow us on Google