Department of State has approved contracts worth $15 billion

The total value of U.S. weaponry to be sold to Israel and Saudi Arabia in the near future amounts to over $15 billion. As reported by the media, the Department of State approved on Friday the sale of packages that include, among other things, several dozen Apache helicopters for Tel Aviv and several hundred Patriot missiles for Riyadh.

Apaches for Israel, Patriots for Saudi Arabia

In Israel’s case, the cost of the sale is expected to reach nearly $7 billion (specifically $6.67 billion). The main portion of the purchase concerns Apache helicopters. Thirty aircraft equipped with rocket launchers and targeting systems will cost Israel a total of $3.8 billion. In addition to the helicopters, the Israeli military will also receive 3,250 light tactical vehicles, which, according to the “Associated Press,” are intended “for personnel transport (…) to extend communication lines for the Israeli armed forces.” The cost of these vehicles is nearly $2 billion.

Israel is not the only country included in the State Department’s package. Saudi Arabia is expected to spend even more on American equipment, paying approximately $9 billion for, among other things, 730 missile rounds for its Patriot air defense batteries. “This enhanced capability will protect the ground forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and local partners, and will significantly improve Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the integrated air and missile defense system in the region,” the statement reads.

In the context of the U.S. sale to Saudi Arabia, it is worth recalling May 2025, when, during President Trump’s visit to the Arabian Peninsula, multibillion-dollar agreements were signed with Riyadh. At that time, the Saudis committed to investing $600 billion in the United States and signed defense procurement contracts worth $142 billion with American companies.

Opposition in Congress?

According to information provided by the “Associated Press,” the State Department’s decision to sell the mentioned weapons to Israel was not well received by some members of the U.S. Congress. Representative Gregory Meeks, the leading Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the Trump administration of hastily announcing the deals with Israel in a manner that “disregards congressional oversight and long-standing practice.” Meeks reportedly stated that “the Trump administration has blatantly ignored Congress’s long-standing prerogatives while refusing to engage Congress on key issues concerning next steps in the Gaza Strip and broader U.S.-Israeli policy.”