{"id":1743,"date":"2026-01-31T08:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefridaynews.com\/?p=1743"},"modified":"2026-01-31T08:54:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:54:28","slug":"us-approves-multibillion-dollar-arms-sales-to-israel-and-saudi-arabia-amid-iran-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefridaynews.com\/?p=1743","title":{"rendered":"US Approves Multibillion-Dollar Arms Sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia Amid Iran Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Saudi Arabia and Israel, at a point of high tensions with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8-billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,\u201d the State Department said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in the package was a $1.8 billion sale of joint light tactical vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States sends billions of dollars worth of military supplies per year to Israel, largely in aid rather than sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israel and Hamas reached a US-backed ceasefire in October that largely paused two years of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions are high elsewhere in the region as the United States deploys a major military contingent in waters near Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The State Department also approved a $9-billion sale to Saudi Arabia for 730 Patriot missiles, which are used to defend against incoming attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israel last year carried out a major bombing campaign against nuclear and other military sites in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iran has faced growing pressure after major protests against the clerical state, which has responded by killing thousands of protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saudi Arabia has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1969511\">voiced caution<\/a>&nbsp;about an attack on Iran as Gulf monarchies fear instability that could jeopardise their reputation as business havens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trump administration has said that the Gaza ceasefire is now in its second phase, with a focus on disarming Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier in November, US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia was being designated as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1956010\">major, non-Nato ally<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The status provides a US partner with military and economic privileges but does not entail security commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The White House also announced the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Kingdom, however, the jets will be less advanced than those operated by Israel, in line with a US law that guarantees Israel\u2019s military edge in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Saudi Arabia and Israel, at a point<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","category-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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