Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

The White House has instructed the Pentagon to release the hold on 2,000-pound bombs intended for shipment to Israel, Axios reported, quoting three Israeli officials.

According to the officials, the 1,800 MK-84 bombs were held in US storage and will be placed on a ship bound for Israel within the coming days.

The weapons shipment had been frozen by then-US President Joe Biden.

An Israeli official said that on Friday, the Pentagon notified the Israeli government that the hold would be released.

The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Last week, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US Mike Herzog told Axios that Trump would release the weapons.

In August, the US sent Israel a shipment of MK-83 bombs, weighing half a ton each.

In June, the Biden administration decided to release 1,700 500-pound bombs that were part of a weapons shipment to Israel put on hold in April over US concerns about the IDF’s military operation in Rafah.

The shipment was sent to Israel shortly afterwards, in early July.

In early May, Axios reported that President Joe Biden decided to put on hold a weapons shipment that was supposed to be sent to Israel.

The White House later confirmed it had paused a shipment of bombs to Israel due to US opposition to a planned Israeli attack on the Gazan city of Rafah.

A day later, Biden warned that he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.