Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, along with 46 other Republican colleagues, have urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to lift the administration's partial arms embargo against Israel. This request, made in a letter sent to the White House, comes on the heels of a deadly attack in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which they argue underscores the need for stronger U.S. military support for Israel.
The letter follows a resolution passed by the same group of senators in May, which condemned the Biden administration for withholding military aid to Israel. According to a press release issued on Monday, the latest appeal was prompted by Hezbollah's July 27th missile attack on Golan Heights. The attack, carried out using Iranian missiles, struck a football field, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, including children. It has been described as the deadliest assault on Israel or any Israeli-annexed territory since the violence of October 7th, when Hamas attacks claimed over 1,200 Israeli lives and left 253 people, including Chapel Hill native Keith Siegel, as hostages.
Despite the severity of the incident, Hezbollah has denied any involvement. "The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard," the group stated, according to a Reuters report.
The Biden administration's partial arms embargo was initially implemented in May, as tensions escalated ahead of an anticipated Israeli invasion of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. Although the invasion went ahead later that month, the International Court of Justice intervened on May 24th, ordering Israel to cease its military offensive against Rafah.
In their letter to the President, the senators expressed deep concern over the administration's actions. "We write once again to protest your administration’s partial arms embargo against Israel," the letter reads. "The actions of the Biden-Harris administration run counter to our long history of robust military cooperation with Israel and cast doubt upon the reliability of the United States as a long-term security partner. Your actions also violate the will of Congress as expressed in the recent supplemental that funded emergency military support to Israel."
The senators also criticized the administration for failing to respond to multiple congressional inquiries regarding the embargo. "You ignored Congressional inquiries, including a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Marshall, a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Ernst, a May 14, 2024, letter from Senator Risch, and a June 20, 2024, letter from Senator Cotton," the letter states.
Additionally, the letter lists specific munitions that have been delayed despite congressional approval, including ammunition, light tactical vehicles, air-to-air missiles, F-15s, F-35 engines, joint direct attack munition kits, 2,000-pound bombs, and rifles. The senators urged the administration to expedite the delivery of these weapons.
“We urge you to use every available emergency authority to expedite the physical delivery of all weapons and ammunition to Israel that have been approved by Congress,” the senators wrote. “Your administration must stop accommodating Iran and its terrorist allies now.”
The Biden administration has yet to publicly respond to the senators' letter.
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