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Biden Administration Delaying Sale of 50 F-15 Fighter Jets to Israel
(Wall Street Journal) Jared Malsin - Two top congressional Democratic leaders on May 22 removed a hold they had placed on the sale of 50 F-15 jet fighters to Israel, but the administration hasn't yet formally notified lawmakers of the sale, according to administration and congressional officials. "There is no policy guidance to slow down transfers to Israel," a State Department official said. "We are looking tactically at the timing. It is not a question of whether; it is a question of when." If the sale is formally approved, the F-15s would likely be delivered in about five years, congressional officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in an English-language video on Tuesday: "It's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel." The U.S. has sent Israel tens of thousands of bombs, tank and artillery ammunition, precision weapons and air-defense equipment since the war began, often drawing on weapons transfers that have been previously approved by Congress. The Biden administration in May paused a shipment of weapons that included bombs as the White House was urging Israel to pull back from a full-scale assault on Rafah in southern Gaza. U.S. officials said Israel has adjusted its tactics in response to White House concerns.