The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, marking the largest single U.S. transfer of the powerful munitions to Israel in recent years, The Washington Post reports.

A U.S. official said the American-funded package would include 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, along with 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads designed to strike hardened and underground targets.

The bombs are among the most powerful conventional munitions in the U.S. arsenal and have been used extensively by Israel during military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Biden administration blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs in the spring of 2024, citing concerns about their potential use in densely populated areas of Gaza. President Trump reversed that decision shortly after returning to office in January 2025.

The latest proposed sale is moving forward despite reported tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Syria, Trump’s Gaza peace plan and efforts by Washington to end the war with Iran.

Brian Finucane, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, said the timing was notable and represented a strong vote of confidence in Israel.

The administration has informally notified the relevant congressional committees and is pressing the leaders of the Senate and House foreign affairs panels to approve the package.

The proposed sale is expected to face opposition in Congress. More than 100 House Democrats voted in July to end all U.S. assistance to Israel, while some conservative commentators have also questioned the annual $3.8 billion in American military aid.

An administration official declined to discuss the details, saying all foreign weapons sales undergo the standard review process and that the administration does not comment on pending transactions.

The Israeli Embassy did not immediately comment on the report.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)