The United States is set to send $4 billion worth of military aid to Israel soon. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Saturday (March 1) that he had signed an executive order authorizing the aid, according to British news agency Reuters.
Rubio stated that he signed the order under emergency powers. Israel, one of the U.S.’s key allies in the Middle East, is currently under a fragile ceasefire agreement with its longtime adversary, Hamas.
Since taking office on January 20, the Trump administration has already approved nearly $12 billion in military sales to Israel.
Rubio emphasized that the U.S. administration will take all necessary steps to ensure Israel’s security and address various threats.
On Friday, the Pentagon announced the approval of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, destructive equipment, and other weapons for sale to Israel.
Congress has been notified of this emergency sale. Typically, such military aid undergoes a review by high-level congressional committees, but the current administration is bypassing long-standing procedures.
This is the second time in recent weeks that the Trump administration has used emergency powers to provide military aid to Israel. However, the Biden administration also used the same authority to bypass congressional review when sending aid to Israel.