Trump administration bypasses congressional review for Israel arms sale

US President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed Congress to speed up the sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel worth nearly $650 million, US officials have said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Friday that the sale of bombs to Israel was required due to the existence of an emergency, in an apparent reference to the war with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Trump administration then authorised itself to bypass congressional review requirements for the sale, Rubio was quoted as saying in a statement by the State Department.

The weapons package included 12,000 BLU-110A/B general purpose 1,000-pound bomb bodies that Israel had requested, The Times of Israel (TOI) reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

Israel will purchase an extra $298 million worth of critical munitions via direct commercial sales, TOI quoted a State Department official as saying on Saturday.

Some US lawmakers argued that the decision to use emergency authority to bypass Congress showed a lack of readiness for the war in Iran, which has killed more than 1,200 Iranians.

The Trump administration has skipped congressional reviews when making military sales to Israel before, as did Democrat Joe Biden’s administration.

The administration said it used $5.6 billion in munitions during the first two days of strikes against Iran in a report provided to US congressional committees, a source familiar with the information said on Tuesday.

The administration has not provided a public assessment of the cost of the conflict it launched on 28 February,  along with ally Israel.

Washington has provided Tel Aviv with unwavering support during its wars in the region since 2023, and the weapons package came a week after the US and Israel began their war on Iran.

Trump and Israel have said they are seeking regime change in Iran. The Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in strikes and recently replaced by his son.

The attacks have dragged nearly the entire Middle East into conflict, with retaliatory Iranian strikes on neighbouring Arab Gulf states and Jordan. Iran has also struck Kurdish groups in northern Iraq.

Israel has resumed its offensive on Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iran-backed Shia militant group joined the Iran war on 2 March, and suspected US strikes have also targeted Iran-backed Shia factions in Iraq.