The US halted bomb deliveries to Israel because it feared Israel would attack civilian-filled Rafah with more than 900 kilogram bombs.
The US stopped a bomb shipment to Israel last week, President Joe Biden a high-ranking official source in the administration tells news agencies.
The reason was that Israel appeared to be about to launch a large-scale ground attack on the city of Rafah at the southern tip of Gaza. The Biden administration did not want to support a ground attack on the civilian-filled Rafah.
– As the Israeli leaders approached the decision to implement the operation, we began to carefully evaluate the content of our arms deliveries in terms of the weapons that might be used in Rafah, the official source says.
According to the source, the events will take place in April.
Washington was particularly concerned about the use of heavy bombs weighing more than 900 kilograms in a densely populated urban environment.
No final decision has yet been made on the delivery. According to the source, Israel and the United States are currently discussing Israel’s plans and Israel has not yet fully responded to the Americans’ doubts.
According to the source, Israel had already used the bombs in question in its Gaza attacks before. For one reason or another, the United States did not want to accept their use in Rafah. However, Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Rafah for a long time, for example on the night before Monday and Tuesday.
The smaller JDAM bombs, used for so-called precision strikes, are also currently banned from delivery. According to an official source, their delivery is currently being evaluated.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Israel sent tanks to take over the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza side. The White House commented earlier that Israel had promised that it would be a “limited operation”.
Source: AFP, AP, Reuters