According to internal leaks, the US Department of Defense has significantly increased arms shipments to Israel without public disclosure. Bloomberg reports that artillery shells continue to be delivered despite loud protests from dozens of aid and human rights organizations.
The US has been Israel’s most important ally for decades, as well as a major arms supplier. After Hamas’s surprise attack on the country on October 7, Washington quickly came to Israel’s defense, supplying the country with various types of anti-aircraft missiles and smart bombs.
Citing an internal defense department list dated late October, the newspaper reported Wednesday that the Pentagon had used its domestic and European stockpiles to provide Israel with 36,000 rounds of 30-mm cannon ammunition and some 2,000 Hellfire laser-guided missiles for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
The list also included 57,000 155mm high-explosive artillery rounds, as well as grenade launchers, rifles and night combat equipment. Israel has also reportedly requested 200 armor-piercing Switchblade 600 attack drones – something the US military does not have in its inventory.
New deliveries every day
When asked for comment, the department of defense said in a statement that it “leveraging several avenues – from internal stocks to US industry channels – to ensure Israel has the means to defend itself”. Officials added that “this security assistance continues to arrive on a near-daily basis”.
The reported shipments have apparently continued despite public calls by the Biden administration for Israel to exercise restraint and avoid civilian casualties during its ongoing operation against Hamas in Gaza.
On Monday, thirty aid organizations sent a letter to defense secretary Lloyd Austin urging him to stop the deliveries, particularly of artillery shells. They argued that because Gaza is “one of the most densely populated places in the world, 155mm artillery shells are inherently indiscriminate”.
