President Donald Trump-led US administration approved arms transfers to Middle East countries, bypassing congressional review citing an emergency.
The military sales, totalling over $8.6 billion, range from air defense missiles to laser guidance systems.
The US State Department made the announcement for the same on Friday, even as the US and Israel's war on Iran marked nine weeks, with no agreement yet on the ending of the conflict even as a fragile truce holds.
Key arms sales include:
Israel: $992.4 million for 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All Up Rounds and related equipment.
Qatar: $992.4 million for 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II all-up-rounds advanced (single variant) systems and $4.01 billion for 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) interceptors and 300 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors.
UAE: $147.6 million for 1,500 guidance sections, single variant (air-to-air), Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II.
Kuwait: $2.5 billion purchase of Integrated Battle Command Systems and related equipment.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the expedited transfer, saying an “emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of these weapons, citing national security interests.
