Netanyahu again claims U.S.withholding arms shipments

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet Sunday there had been a “dramatic drop” in U.S. weapons deliveries for Israel’s war effort in Gaza, doubling down on a claim the Biden administration has denied and underscoring the growing strains between the two allies.

- TIA GOLDENBERG

Protesters set a fire during a demonstration Saturday calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Netanyahu told his cabinet the drop had occurred four months ago, without specifying which weapons, saying only that “certain items arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind.”

The spat highlights how high tensions have surged between Israel and Washington over the war in Gaza, particularly surrounding the Israeli military’s conduct in the beleaguered territory and the harm to civilian life there. U.S. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs since May over those concerns, but his administration fought back last week against Netanyahu’s charges that other shipments had also been affected.