The US State Department has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, a US official has confirmed to the BBC.
Arms shipments, which require approval by House and Senate committees, include missiles, shells and other weapons.
This move comes two weeks before President Joe Biden leaves office. Washington has rejected calls to freeze military aid to Israel because of the number of people killed during the war in Gaza.
In August, the US approved the sale of $20 billion worth of military jets and other military equipment to Israel.
The latest planned deployment consists of air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, artillery shells and bombs, a US official said.
A source familiar with the sale told the BBC on Saturday: “The President has made it clear that Israel has the right to protect its citizens, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, and to stop violence from Iran and its proxies.
“We will continue to provide the capabilities needed to keep Israel safe.”
Biden often describes US support for Israel as ironclad.
The US is Israel’s biggest arms supplier, having helped build one of the most technologically advanced armies in the world.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 69% of Israel’s major conventional weapons purchases between 2019 and 2023.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas following the group’s unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were captured.
More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the area.
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