The Trump administration has bypassed congressional review to approve military sales totaling more than $8.6 billion to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, according to media reports on Saturday.
The US State Department announced the approvals on Friday, at a time when the conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran has reached its ninth week, with a fragile ceasefire in place for over three weeks.
According to Reuters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency situation justified the immediate execution of these sales, thereby waiving the standard congressional review process.
The approved deals include $4.01 billion for Patriot air and missile defense system replenishment services for Qatar, as well as $992.4 million for Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS).
Additionally, the State Department approved the sale of an integrated battle command system to Kuwait valued at $2.5 billion.
Israel is set to receive APKWS worth $992.4 million, while the United Arab Emirates will receive similar systems valued at $147.6 million.
The escalation began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military bases. The ongoing exchanges, along with Israeli operations in Lebanon, have resulted in thousands of casualties and the displacement of millions.
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