Israel receives shipment of US heavy bombs after delivery ban lifted
Jerusalem: Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs after the US recently lifted a temporary ban on their delivery, the Israeli Defence Ministry said.
The MK-84 is a 907-kg unguided bomb capable of penetrating reinforced targets and causing extensive damage with its strong blast power.
This shipment of munitions arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod late on Saturday and was “received and unloaded overnight,” a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Video footage released by the ministry showed shipping containers being loaded onto dozens of trucks, which, according to the ministry, transported them to Israel’s Air Force bases, Xinhua news agency reported.
The administration of former US President Joe Biden had suspended the delivery of MK-84 bombs to Israel over concerns about their potential use and impact in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, where Israeli bombings and ground attacks have killed tens of thousands of people since October 2023.
In the same statement, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the latest shipment “represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”
He thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration for releasing the bombs and for their “unwavering support” for Israel.
Since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, more than 76,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel via 678 airlifts and 129 sea shipments, according to statistics from Israel’s Defence Ministry.