President Biden tells CNN that the US will stop providing Israel with artillery shells, bombs for fighter jets and other offensive weapons if it invades Rafah
President Biden tells CNN that the US will stop providing Israel with artillery shells, bombs for fighter jets and other offensive weapons if it invades Rafah
President Joe Biden stated in a CNN interview on Wednesday that the United States would not provide offensive weapons to Israel that could be used in an all-out assault on Rafah, the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza, due to concerns for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there.
While affirming the U.S.'s commitment to Israel's defense, Biden emphasized that the U.S. would supply defensive arms like Iron Dome rocket interceptors but would withhold weapons and artillery shells used in an offensive on Rafah.
The U.S. has a long history of providing significant military aid to Israel, a relationship that has intensified following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals in Israel and the capture of about 250 by militants. Biden's recent comments and his decision to halt a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel reflect a growing divergence between his administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden clarified that Israel's actions around Rafah had not yet crossed his red lines but emphasized the need for Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.
The halted shipment was reportedly intended to include 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs. The focus of U.S. concern was on the larger explosives and their potential use in densely populated urban areas.
Biden emphasized the impact of such bombs on civilians in Gaza, stating, "Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers." He reiterated that if Israel were to enter Rafah, the U.S. would not provide the historically used weapons for dealing with such situations.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed the weapons delay, indicating that the U.S. had paused "one shipment of high payload munitions."