US arms sales to Israel worth $21.6 billion in 20 months

US arms deals for Israel reached $21.6 billion under Trump, including billions in bombs, missiles and military equipment 

Mohamed Elbedewy

Washington, D.C.

25 September, 2026

https://www.newarab.com/news/us-arms-sales-israel-surge-216-bn-20-months

Notifications submitted by the US President Donald Trump administration to Congress, along with US State Department data covering the period from 20 January 2025 to 17 September 2026, show that the Trump administration has approved arms deals for Israel worth $21.6 billion in just 20 months.

The value of military aid, funded by US taxpayers, and arms deals approved by former President Joe Biden for Israel between October 2023 and early 2025 exceeded $17.9 billion, according to a study by Brown University.

These weapons were used in the genocide in Gaza and the killing of more than 50,000 civilians, children and women during this period.

September 2026: $2.8 billion in weapons

The US State Department informally notified the offices of the four top Republican and Democratic members in the House of Representatives and Senate last week of a $2.8 billion military aid deal involving new weapons for Israel that Washington is preparing to conclude.

The deal includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, 20,000 BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 penetrating warheads.

A 2,000-pound bomb is considered one of the most destructive munitions in the world, as its explosion sends metal fragments thousands of feet in all directions and can penetrate metal and thick concrete.

Despite opposition from Democrats, the deal is expected to pass as usual under emergency authority that allows the administration to bypass congressional objections.

Historically, Congress has failed to stop any arms deal.

The following are the main previous large deals:

January 2025: $2.04 billion

After the Biden administration had previously sent shipments of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, and as criticism mounted following their use in the genocide in Gaza and the killing of tens of thousands of children and women, his administration suspended one shipment in 2024.

In the first week of the Trump administration after his return to the White House in January 2025, he announced the immediate lifting of the ban on that shipment.

The shipment was valued at $2.04 billion.

February 2025: $7.4 billion

In the first week of February 2025, the US State Department informed Congress in two separate statements that it had approved an arms deal for Israel worth $7.4 billion.

It included 20,000 bombs, guidance systems and equipment worth $6.75 billion, and 3,000 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles worth $660 million.

The administration bypassed congressional notification to obtain approval.

The Trump administration used emergency powers that allow for immediate sales, citing national security interests, to bypass the usual congressional review procedures.

It provided Israel with a $675 million deal including 5,000 1,000-pound bombs and guidance kits and a $295 million deal including Caterpillar bulldozers.

The deal was announced at a value of $3.01 billion, but it included what the administration had announced in January 2025.

June 2025: $510 million

Following the US-Israeli attack on Iran in June 2025, and to rebuild Israel's stockpile, the Trump administration approved the provision of high-precision guidance systems to the Israeli military, worth $510 million.

The deal included more than 7,000 guidance kits for offensive munitions.

January 2026: $6.67 billion

In September 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that the Trump administration was seeking congressional approval for an arms deal with Israel worth more than $6 billion.

The deal would be funded through the Foreign Military Financing programme, or military aid.

In January, the deal was announced with a total value of $6.67 billion. It includes 30 Apache helicopters, doubling Israel's fleet of this type of aircraft, 3,250 assault vehicles and other equipment.

March 2026: $650 million

One week after the US-Israeli war on Iran began this year, Israel requested more than 20,000 bombs.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as stated in a statement in March 2026, determined that an emergency existed requiring the sale to Israel to be completed immediately and the deal to be exempted from congressional review.

The deal was announced at a value of $650 million and included 12,000 1,000-pound bombs, as well as 500-pound bombs.

Reuters also quoted an official as saying that Israel would purchase an additional $298 million worth of munitions through direct sales.

May 2026: $992 million

On 1 May, Rubio again used emergency powers to approve a deal for Israel to purchase 10,000 APKWS laser-guided rocket systems worth $992.4 million.

These rockets have been used as countermeasures against Iranian drones because of their lower cost compared with expensive weapons.

This means that the total value of the deals announced and approved by the administration so far is $19.2 billion.

It will rise to $21.6 billion when the administration completes procedures for the latest deal, with at least half of the amount being military aid funded by US taxpayers.