Israel is anticipating that President Donald Trump will reverse the Joe Biden administration’s pause on the delivery of 2,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs, according to a report in Axios.
Mike Herzog, Israel's outgoing ambassador to the United States, expressed confidence that Donald Trump will take swift action on the issue once he returns to the White House. "We believe that Trump is going to release, at the beginning of his term, the munitions that haven't been released until now by the Biden administration," Herzog was quoted as saying by Axios.
The Biden administration had halted the shipment of these munitions to Israel in May 2024, amid concerns that their potential use in Gaza could lead to mass civilian casualties. The shipment, which included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, was reportedly put on hold as part of efforts to address the ongoing conflict and humanitarian concerns.
This pause in weapons deliveries reportedly led to one of the most significant crises in US-Israel relations since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.
The reversal of this bomb ban is expected to be one of the first actions taken by Donald Trump as he resumes office. Israeli officials believe that the incoming president will quickly make moves regarding the Israel-Hamas war, including this change in munitions policy, according to Axios.
The report comes days after Trump’s signing of an executive order to temporarily suspend all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days, pending reviews to assess whether they align with his administration’s policy goals.
It is unclear how much aid will initially be impacted by the order.
The order, part of a series of executive actions signed on Trump’s first day back in office, criticises the foreign aid sector, claiming that it is misaligned with American interests and values, and contributes to global instability by promoting foreign policies that conflict with peaceful international relations. Trump declared that no US foreign assistance should be distributed in ways that do not align with his foreign policy.
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