US to send Israel thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells promised to Ukraine

The New York Times reported the information.

"With his prime-time vow to send more weapons to both Ukraine and Israel, President Biden sought to make clear on Thursday that the United States was not prioritizing one war over the other. But hours earlier, a Defense Department official said that tens of thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells promised to Ukraine would be diverted to Israel," the statement said.

According to US officials and experts, the shells are the kind of weapon that is needed in both wars, which could lead to the US not being able to meet demand. The outlet emphasizes that this will be especially true if the expected Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas attacks lasts for months.

It noted that some of these supplies may include the same types of artillery and bombs that Ukraine needs in its counteroffensive. Nevertheless, the outlet reminds that, according to US national security officials, Ukraine and Israel are mostly fighting different types of wars and have different capabilities and needs.

"There’ll be very little overlap between what we’re going to be giving Israel and what we give to Ukraine,” Michael J. Morell, former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said last week.

However, with global stockpiles of 155mm shells and other weapons systems already dwindling and manufacturers struggling to keep up with demand, "there will be tradeoffs" in supply for both wars, said Mark F. Cancian, a former White House strategist.

Another Defense Ministry official said that Israel and Ukraine may receive different versions of ammunition to avoid duplication.

• On Friday, the White House announced that it would send a request to Congress for about USD 100 billion in emergency funding. Approximately USD 61 billion of this request is for assistance to Ukraine, whileUSD 14 billion is earmarked for Israeli defense. Almost USD 14 billion will go to personnel and operations on the US-Mexico border, USD 10 billion to humanitarian aid and USD 2 billion to security assistance in the Indo-Pacific region.