The U.S. is considering delaying further weapon shipments to Israel, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing on Wednesday.
Miller said that while Washington was “committed to Israel's security” and has proven so in recent weeks with respect to Iran's unprecedented attack last month, it has “very serious concerns” about the ground offensive in Rafah and the fate of the dense civilian population there. Miller claimed that Israel has not presented a viable plan to address these issues and stressed that while Washington has stopped one shipment and is reviewing others, its long-term commitment to Israel has not changed.
Earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday told a Senate hearing that President Joe Biden's decision to hold up delivery of high payload munitions to Israel was taken in the context of Israel's plans to carry out an offensive in Rafah that Washington opposes without new civilian safeguards.
"We've been very clear...from the very beginning that Israel shouldn't launch a major attack into the Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace. And again, as we have assessed the situation, we have paused one shipment of high payload munitions," he said. "We've not made a final determination on how to proceed with that shipment."
Austin's remarks come after the Biden administration has postponed a scheduled ammunition shipment to Israel that was due last week. This marks the first instance of such a delay by the U.S. since October 7, amid objections to a proposed ground operation in Rafah, a move Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he's committed to.
US Senator Lindsey Graham attacks Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for stopping arm shipments to Israel
(Video: C-SPAN3)
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the decision to halt arms shipments to Israel during the war was akin to “Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.”
“If we stop weapons necessary to destroy the enemies of the State of Israel at a time of great peril, we will pay a price. This is obscene. It is absurd. Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can’t afford to lose,” Graham added.
Reuters contributed to this story.