US preparing $2.8B arms package for Israel with heavy bombs: WaPo

The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that would deliver 40,000 heavy bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The proposed transfer includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads, all funded by US taxpayers, according to the newspaper.

The package would exceed previous US transfers of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel under both the Biden and Trump administrations, and surpasses a controversial $2.04 billion arms sale approved in 2025 that bypassed standard congressional review.

Devastating capabilities

The MK-84 is among the most destructive conventional munitions in Western arsenals, with a blast capable of penetrating thick concrete and propelling metal fragments thousands of feet. Nicknamed the "hammer" by US pilots during the 1991 Gulf War, the weapon creates large craters and was the only munition whose shipment Biden temporarily suspended in 2024 over civilian casualty concerns.

Israel has deployed these weapons extensively in Gaza and Lebanon, where their use has been linked to significant civilian casualties despite designations of safe zones.

Analysts warn of civilian risk

Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician, said the munitions are frequently used against buildings. "If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building," Ball told the newspaper.

Trump reversed Biden's suspension policy in January 2025, clearing the way for the new transfer. Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said there are "real concerns" over how such weapons could be used in densely populated areas, given Israel's conduct of its air campaign in Gaza and, to some extent, in southern Lebanon.