Follow Up

In the last week the U.S. has provided Israel with mortars and ammunition for grenade launchers requested as part of a foreign military arms sale. The weapons came from a $1 billion stockpile of ammunition stored by the U.S. military in Israel for that country’s use if needed for an emergency.

However, a U.S. defense official stressed the delivery of weapons from the existing stockpile in Israel was more a matter of convenience to rotate U.S. ammunition stocks than an emergency request from Israel.

  ABC

Just coincidentally timed, right?

The Israeli request to purchase the ammunition was made just days after Israel launched its ground offensive into Gaza. The fighting in Gaza since has resulted in the deaths of 1,340 Palestinians and 59 Israelis, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 7,200 have been injured.

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On July 20 Israel made a foreign military sales request for munitions that included an undisclosed amount of 120 mm mortar rounds and 40 mm ammunition for grenade launchers. The defense official said the ammunition was sold to Israel as a “routine” foreign military sales request and not an emergency request to tap into the U.S. military stockpile in Israel.

[...]

While ostensibly for use by U.S. or Israeli forces the stockpile is essentially available for Israel’s use if it makes a request for an emergency foreign military sale.

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Issuing munitions from the WRSA-I stockpile was “strictly a sourcing decision and White House approval was not required.”