WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The U.S. State Department “informally” notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with the Zionist regime, including munitions for fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery shells, according to a report.
The State Department presented the agreement as a measure to “support Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
It comes as U.S. President Joe Biden approaches the final days of his term before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump.
The proposed arms sale, pending congressional approval, includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets, 155mm artillery shells, small diameter bombs, 500-pound warheads, bomb fuzes and other related equipment, the report added.
The sale will reportedly see munitions delivered from current U.S. stocks, while the majority will take one or more years to be produced and delivered.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu’s request for comment.
The U.S. faces criticism for providing military aid to the Zionist regime, as more than 45,650 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.
Several human rights groups, former State Department officials and Democratic lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to halt arms transfers to the Zionist regime, citing violations of U.S. laws, including the Leahy Law, as well as international laws and human rights. 
The Leahy Law, named after former Sen. Patrick Leahy, requires the U.S. to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.
Biden halted shipments of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to the Zionist regime in May because of its aggression on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, citing civilian casualties in the enclave as a consequence of the bombs. In July, he decided to move ahead with the shipment of 500-pound bombs to the regime after a two-month pause.
The flow of other military equipment to Israel continued, however, including $20 billion in fighter jets and other military supplies that were approved by the State Department in August.
The U.S., which provides $3.8 billion in annual security assistance to the Zionist regime, is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Tel Aviv, with more than 70% of Israel’s arms imports coming from the U.S., according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
U.S.-made weapons have been documented in several Israeli strikes on Gaza that resulted in civilian casualties, although American authorities have declined to confirm the fact.