Experts claim that these weapons do not simply kill; they completely destroy matter as temperatures between 2,500 and 3,000 degrees Celsius develop during the explosion
One of the largest packages of heavy aerial bombs is being prepared by the US for Israel at a moment when the broader region of the Middle East is truly... ablaze with what is happening in Iran, in Yemen with the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, as well as in Gaza and Lebanon with Israeli military operations... The administration of Donald Trump is planning a sale of military equipment worth approximately $2.8 billion, at the core of which are 60,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds — roughly 907 kilograms each. The package, as reported by a series of US media outlets, includes 20,000 MK-84s, 20,000 BLU-117s, and another 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator armor-piercing warheads. These are exceptionally lethal weapons and in quantities that, according to experts, correspond to the bombs dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II... Indeed, this development could be viewed as yet another episode in the multi-year military cooperation between the US and Israel. However, the unprecedented quantity — at a juncture when the US is supposedly running out of strategic weapon reserves — the type of munitions that can wipe out entire cities, and the moment at which the deal is announced, inevitably raise the question: what is the next move planned by the Americans and the Israelis, and above all, for what kind of war does Israel need tens of thousands of the heaviest conventional bombs in the US weapons arsenal?
Unprecedented package
This assistance constitutes one of the largest munitions packages the US has made available to Israel and comes after nearly three years of genocidal war in Gaza, ongoing pogroms by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and a fierce offensive in southern Lebanon — events that, combined, have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions in the region. It also comes during a period in which the US's own ammunition stockpiles have been depleted due to its war with Iran, with the crisis worsened by Russia's war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has not yet officially confirmed this sale. A senior administration official told the AFP news agency that "all foreign arms sales follow the prescribed process," but declined to comment on pending transactions. What kind of bombs, then, are the US sending to Israel, and what can Israel do with them?
Weapons of terror
The MK-84 is not an ordinary aerial munition. It is an unguided general-purpose bomb. It belongs to the Mark 80 family of US general-purpose bombs and has a total weight of approximately 2,000 pounds (907 kg). Its explosive power and the mass of its metal casing can cause widespread destruction to buildings and infrastructure, while fragments can scatter over a great distance from the blast point.
The BLU-117 is a variant of the same category, as it is a 2,000-pound (907 kg) general-purpose bomb that closely resembles the MK-84 but features a different explosive charge and can also be equipped with precision guidance systems. It also features a thermal protective coating, among other things, for safer use and storage in a naval environment.
Of even greater interest are the 20,000 I-2000 Penetrators included in the package: bomb bodies designed to strike reinforced or underground structures. This is why it is referred to as a "bunker buster." Its casing is significantly thicker and harder than that of an MK-84.
Potential targets
Consequently, the agreement does not only concern weapons against surface targets. It includes capabilities that can be used against tunnels, underground command centers, weapons depots, and other fortified facilities. Precisely such infrastructure has been at the epicenter of Israel's operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon for years. But it could also target corresponding sites or more strategic targets in Iran in the event that a new round of airstrikes and bombardments is repeated by both US and Israeli air forces.
$2.8 billion — but the money comes from the US
The term "sale" may create the impression of a conventional commercial transaction between two states. The reality is more complex. A large part of the deal is to be funded through the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. Through this mechanism, the United States provides funding to allied countries so that they can purchase American military equipment. Israel is the most significant recipient of US aid through this specific program. Under the ten-year US-Israel agreement for the period 2019-2028, Washington provides annual funding of $3.3 billion through FMF, in addition to funding for joint missile defense programs. In practice, therefore, a significant part of the bill is covered by US public funds, which end up purchasing American weapons for the Israeli armed forces. This is also one of the reasons why the new deal is sparking such intense political debate in the US.
The Gaza experience weighs heavily over the new agreement
The 2,000-pound bombs are not appearing for the first time in the debate surrounding the war in the Middle East. Analyses of visual material, weapon remnants, and bombardment sites have repeatedly linked bombs of this category to Israeli operations in Gaza. The use of heavy munitions in one of the most densely populated areas in the world has been the subject of severe criticism from human rights organizations, warfare experts, and part of the US political system. The administration of Joe Biden had gone so far in 2024 as to suspend a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, expressing concerns over the potential consequences of their use in densely populated areas. This suspension was lifted after Trump returned to the White House. Trump put an end to the suspension and bypassed the usual Congressional review process, approving an arms sale to Israel worth almost $3 billion, which included more than 35,500 such powerful bombs.
When has Israel used US 2,000-pound bombs in the past?
Israel was using 2,000-pound class bombs, particularly in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, for at least four decades prior to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked Israel's war in Gaza. In 1981, Israel used this bomb during the bombing of Osirak, known as Operation Opera, in an airstrike that destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor near Baghdad. The following year, Israel dropped such bombs in Lebanon and Syria, with the attacks resulting in high numbers of civilian casualties. According to the Project on Defense Alternatives (PDA), which conducts research and defense policy analysis, the explosion of a 2,000-pound bomb causes severe damage and can injure or kill anything or anyone within a 35-meter radius. On average, across different types of terrain, a 2,000-pound bomb creates a crater 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter and 16 feet (5 meters) deep.
Why 60,000 bombs
The number of bombs is very significant. In total, 60,000 2,000-pound class bombs weigh 54,400 tons. This corresponds roughly to the weight of the entire steel frame of the Empire State Building in New York. Or seven times the weight of the iron structure of the Eiffel Tower. Their total mass also far exceeds that used in one of the most notorious single conventional air raids of the 20th century. In the incendiary bombing of Tokyo in March 1945, during which more than 80,000 people were killed in a single night, approximately 1,600 tons of bombs were used. On a broader scale, the 54,400 tons correspond almost to the total weight of bombs dropped on Berlin throughout World War II and about one-third of all bombs dropped on the main Japanese islands.
The tests... in Gaza
Since Israel's genocidal war in Gaza began in October 2023, preliminary investigations suggest that Israel has used these powerful and destructive bombs with greater frequency. For example, on October 31, 2023, Israel dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the Jabalia refugee camp, a densely populated area of Gaza City, leaving a massive crater among bombed buildings and killing dozens of civilians. The UN Human Rights Office stated that the Israeli air attack could constitute a war crime. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Washington has scoffed at the court's jurisdiction.
How lethal are these bombs?
According to an investigation by Al Jazeera titled The Rest of the Story, civil defense teams in Gaza have recorded 2,842 Palestinians whom eyewitnesses report were essentially "vaporized" by bomb explosions since the start of the war in October 2023, with no remains left behind other than blood splatters or small pieces of flesh. Experts and eyewitnesses have attributed this phenomenon to Israel's systematic use of internationally banned thermal and thermobaric weapons, often called vacuum or aerosol bombs, which are capable of generating temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius. The investigation described how specific chemical compositions in Israeli munitions reduce human bodies to ash within seconds and identified specific US-made munitions used in Gaza linked to these disappearances, including the MK-84 and the BLU series bunker busters. Russian military expert Vasily Fatigarov explained that these weapons do not simply kill; they completely destroy matter. Unlike conventional explosives, they disperse a fuel cloud that ignites, creating a massive fireball and a vacuum effect. "To prolong the burning time, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium powders are added to the chemical mixture," Fatigarov stated. "This raises the temperature of the explosion to between 2,500 and 3,000 degrees Celsius."
From Gaza to Lebanon
The discussion, however, is no longer limited to Gaza. And here lies perhaps the most important geopolitical dimension of the matter. Lebanon is not merely a potential future theater of conflict. In 2026, it is already an active front. Israeli forces have carried out extensive operations in southern Lebanon, where Israel has established a control zone following the new escalation of clashes with Hezbollah. On September 10, Israel announced, among other things, the destruction of a large underground Hezbollah complex in the Ali al-Taher area, about 15 kilometers from the border. At the same time, Reuters reported on September 16 that more than 4,300 people have been killed and approximately 300,000 have been displaced during this year's conflict in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. Washington is simultaneously attempting to push a security agreement between Israel and Lebanon, with a new round of talks scheduled in Rome for October. However, Israel continues to maintain a presence on Lebanese territory and demands the disarmament of Hezbollah before a full withdrawal. Amid this environment, the prospect of transferring tens of thousands of heavy bombs cannot help but raise questions about the future intensity of operations.
Previous strikes in Lebanon
There is precedent. In 2024, when Israel carried out the massive strike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, visual analysis by The Washington Post concluded that Israeli aircraft likely used American-made 2,000-pound class bombs, including the BLU-109. Therefore, this is not a theoretical scenario. There is already a documented history of using very heavy US munitions in Israeli operations in Lebanon. This does not prove that these specific 60,000 bombs are destined for a major new campaign in the country.
The same will happen in Lebanon
News of the sale has been condemned by figures on both sides of the political spectrum in the US. "By any definition, what the Netanyahu government has done in Gaza is genocide," conservative commentator Tucker Carlson wrote on X, having strongly criticized US support for Israel's war in Palestine. "The 60,000 new bombs the Trump administration is sending will be used to do the same in Lebanon and likely in other countries in the region. If you wanted to extend the war with Iran indefinitely, this is exactly what you would do," Carlson emphasized.
Gregory Meeks' "brakes"
The first serious political reaction came from Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. On September 16, Meeks announced that he does not approve, at this stage, the planned sale, citing "serious and unresolved concerns" regarding the use of such weapons in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon. As he noted in his official statement, the Trump administration has not provided sufficient guarantees that the weapons will be used in accordance with US law and with appropriate measures to protect civilians. His intervention carries real institutional significance. Major US arms sales traditionally go through an informal preliminary consultation process with the leadership of the relevant congressional committees. At this stage, committee leaders can request clarifications, demand assurances, or delay a transaction prior to its official notification. Meeks, therefore, can delay the process. However, he does not possess an absolute veto.
The Trump administration has a way to bypass reactions
Here lies another critical point. The US administration can, under specific conditions, bypass the standard parliamentary timetable by citing emergency national security needs. The Trump administration has already used a similar procedure in a previous arms sale to Israel. Both the Associated Press and Reuters point out that Meeks' objection does not in itself guarantee that the package will be stopped. Congress possesses institutional tools to attempt to block or modify a sale after its official notification, but the process is politically and legally far more complex than a simple "yes" or "no." The question, therefore, is whether the Trump administration will seek a compromise with critics of the deal or proceed despite the reactions.
Cross-party rifts in Washington
Reactions, however, are numerous. US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, stated that he would work to block the sale and accused the Trump administration of "sending bombs paid for by American taxpayers to a government led by a wanted war criminal." Former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote: "We didn't vote for this. America doesn't support this. Our taxpayer dollars and our weapons have been used to kill tens of thousands of innocent people." Brian Finucane, a senior adviser to the US Program at the International Crisis Group, stated that the sale "sends a vote of confidence to Israel," even if unintended, at a time when the administration states it wants to de-escalate the situation in the region. Analysts consider the timing to be deliberately chosen by Israel, which seeks to lock in extensive US military support now, fearing that a future administration might prove less steadily and unconditionally supportive.
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