US to resume shipments of 500lb bombs to Israel

But higher-impact 2,000lb bombs will remain on hold, a US official tells the BBC.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersUS to resume shipments of 500lb bombs to Israel21 hours agoBy Tom Bennett, BBC NewsShareShutterstockThe US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to IsraelThe United States will resume shipments of 500lb bombs to Israel, a US official has told the BBC.

A joint shipment of 2,000lb and 500lb bombs had been paused since May because of White House concerns over the use of the munitions in the crowded city of Rafah and other parts of Gaza.

The US has now clarified that the 500lb bombs had only been held up because they were “co-mingled" in the same shipment as the 2000lb bombs. The lower-impact 500lb bombs will now be "moving forward as part of the usual process".

The planned resumption of bomb shipments comes as Israel presses ahead with military operations throughout the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, it dropped leaflets instructing “everyone" in Gaza City to go south to shelters in the Deir al-Balah area, warning that Gaza City remained a “dangerous combat zone”.

The paused weapons shipment had previously caused a diplomatic spat.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckkg6x62z6wo

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