US approves $165 million in weapons sales to Israel for 2027 delivery

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved $165 million in weapons sales to Israel to fund heavy-duty tank trailers, the State Department announced Thursday.

The systems include spare and repair parts, tool kits and technical and logistics support. They are not expected to be delivered until 2027.

Earlier this year, the U.S. announced a mammoth $20 billion weapons support package for Israel to include F-15 fighter jets. Like the tank trailers, those systems will not be delivered for several years and will not affect current Israeli military operations amid its 11-month-old war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with a growing number of calls from lawmakers and the public to curb military support there due to the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza.

It has curbed one delivery of 2,000-pound bombs amid continued airstrikes by Israel in densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.