The United States said on Wednesday it was “reviewing” other arms deliveries to Israel for fear of the Israeli offensive in Rafah, the day after announcing the suspension last week of a shipment of ammunition and bombs intended for Israel.
“We have suspended one shipment of short-term aid and are reviewing others,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, declining to detail which ones.
Tuesday evening, a senior American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that this cargo composed of “1,800 bombs of 2,000 pounds [907 kg] and 1,700 500-pound bombs [226 kg] » was suspended last week.
The US State Department is also reviewing other arms transfers, including the use of precision bombs known as JDAM (remote guided bomb), the official added.
Speaking at a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that he had “disrupted an ammunition shipment” to Israel, but we have not “made a final decision on what to do with that.” cargo”.
This decision was taken as Washington opposes a major offensive by Israeli troops in Rafah, the Palestinian town in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Washington has made clear that it does not support an offensive without a credible plan to protect the civilians sheltering there. Joe Biden “reiterated his clear position” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
The Israeli army carried out airstrikes on Wednesday and said it was continuing its “targeted” ground operations in Rafah, at a time when delicate negotiations were being held in Cairo for a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Israel “has not yet launched a large-scale military operation […] “But as far as we are concerned, we continue to have concerns about such a potential operation in Rafah,” the US spokesperson said. “We have been very clear about this, both privately and publicly,” he said.