The State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel. U.S. officials say some of the weapons could be sent through current U.S. stocks but the majority of the package would take a year or several years to deliver.

The Biden administration notified Congress of an $8 billion weapons package for Israel, one of the largest new arms sales since the war in Gaza began.

Joe Biden’s administration has provisionally approved $8bn in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president’s close ally after more than a year of war in Gaza. The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress late on Friday in what is known as an informal notification,

The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.