The President Donald Trump administration is reportedly preparing a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel for 40,000 heavy 2,000-pound bombs, comprising 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, plus 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.
The MK 84 and BLU-117 are among the most destructive non-nuclear conventional munitions in the U.S. arsenal. Defense experts note that while effective against hardened underground infrastructure, their broad blast radius and shrapnel field cause severe collateral damage in densely populated urban environments.
This would be the largest single sale of these munitions to Israel in recent years, funded by U.S. taxpayer military aid. The deal has been informally notified to congressional committees but still requires formal approval from Congress.
This package comes as U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran continue, with fighting stretching across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the Gulf.
The Biden administration previously paused transfers of these specific munitions due to concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon, where they have been regularly used by the IDF.
A prior $2.04 billion package approved in 2025 included 35,529 bomb bodies and 4,000 penetrator warheads, with deliveries beginning in 2026.
“All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales,” a US offical reportedly said.
U.S. public support for Israel has declined since 2023; a June 2026 Quinnipiac University poll found 66% of Democrats believe the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.
The proposed deal triggered backlash among foreign policy realists and "America First" conservatives, most notably commentator Tucker Carlson.
Critics note the munitions are linked to numerous civilian casualties in Gaza, where more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed according to local health authorities.
The report intensified a widening rift within the conservative coalition between non-interventionist "America First" populist figures—who oppose continuous foreign military aid—and traditional neoconservative supporters of robust defense backing for Israel. Progressive and human rights organizations have similarly denounced the deal, citing the ongoing humanitarian toll and destruction in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
In an X post Tuesday, Carlson criticized the scale, noting the shipment equals 40,000 tons of bombs 7.5 times the tonnage dropped in the largest WWII U.S. air raid on Berlin. He said the MK-84 has a half-mile destruction radius, causes rock to melt and flesh to vaporize within 100 feet, and that the U.S. military generally avoids using it in urban areas due to high civilian death tolls.
Carlson called out key figures overseeing or supporting the weapons sale approval pipeline, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and congressional leadership, questioning why U.S. taxpayer resources continue to fund large-scale foreign warfare rather than domestic priorities.
