US Defense Secretary confirms that bomb shipments to Israel have been halted

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin verified that because of potential ground operations in Rafah without a plan for civilians in the southern Gaza city, the US is halting a shipment of "high-payload munitions" to Israel.

Austin stated at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, "We're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself, but that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah."

“We’ve been very clear … that Israel shouldn't launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace,” Austin said.

Austin also stressed that the weapons shipment was not included in the supplemental spending package that Congress recently approved, which included lethal aid for both Israel and Ukraine. The US has not made "a final determination" about what will happen with the weapons shipment, Austin added.