The US State Department has notified Congress of plans to sell $8 billion (£6.4 billion) worth of arms to Israel, a US official confirmed to the BBC.
Weapons consignments that require approval from House and Senate committees include missiles, artillery shells and other munitions.
This move comes just two weeks before President Joe Biden leaves office. Washington has rejected calls to cut off military aid to Israel, citing the deaths of scores of civilians during the war in Gaza.
Last August, the United States approved the sale of $20 billion worth of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
The latest planned shipment includes air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, artillery shells and bombs, U.S. officials said.
“The president has made clear that Israel has the right under international law and international humanitarian law to protect its citizens and deter attacks by Iran and its proxies,” a source familiar with the sale told the BBC on Saturday.
“We will continue to provide the capabilities needed to defend Israel.”
Biden has often described U.S. support for Israel as ironclad.
The United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier and has helped Israel build one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries in the world.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States accounted for 69% of the major conventional weapons imported by Israel from 2019 to 2023.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas on October 7, 2023, in response to its unprecedented attacks on southern Israel. The attack left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
More than 45,580 people have since died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
