US to send thousands of artillery shells to Israel instead of Ukraine

The US Defence Department has set in motion a plan to ship thousands of 155 mm artillery shells to Israel that had initially been earmarked to go to Ukraine, the Axios news website reported. 

Three Israeli officials told Axios that the artillery shells, which are from US emergency stocks and were originally destined for Ukraine, will now be going to Israel.  

They added that the Israeli army said that it needed the shells "urgently" as fighting continues on the Lebanese-Israeli border and it prepares for a threatened ground invasion of Gaza.

Israel has continued to indiscriminately strike the besieged Palestinian territory, killing 4,137 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injuring over 13,000. 

The weapons are believed to be arriving in the coming weeks, with the officials saying they couldn't confirm that they were on the way to Israel.  

As part of an agreement between the US and Israel signed after the 2006 war with Lebanon, Israel receives access to American ammunition in certain war-related circumstances.

According to Axios, US officials said that allocating the shells to Israel instead of Ukraine would not have any influence on Ukraine defending itself against Russian forces.  

"We are confident we can support both Ukraine and Israel in terms of their defensive needs," a Pentagon spokesperson said. 

The recent news follows US President Joe Biden visiting Israel and meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden has vowed "unlimited" support to Israel in its war on Gaza, while Netanyahu said Biden would offer a "massive, unprecedented" military aid package.