US suspends bomb supplies to Israel over fears of Rafah attack
The United States has decided to suspend the supply of bombs to Israel (GettyImages)
The Biden administration halted bomb shipments to Israel last week over concerns that the country may launch a widescale military assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, citing Sky News.
According to a senior administration official, the shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (900 kg) each and 1,700 bombs weighing 500 pounds (225 kg) each.
He added that the US is concerned about how large bombs could be used in densely populated urban areas and has not yet made a final decision on how to proceed with the deliveries.
There is also growing concern within the White House about the situation in Rafah, but publicly administration officials emphasize that they do not believe the recent operations contradict Mr. Biden's warnings against a widescale operation in the city.
Onset of operations in Rafah
Israeli forces called on residents of Rafah to evacuate during the night of May 6, before targeting Hamas targets in the city.
Later reports emerged that Israeli tanks were heading to Rafah, but even Egypt acknowledged that the operation was limited in scale.
The IDF then took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.
For more on the Israel-Hamas conflict, read RBC-Ukraine's coverage.
