WASHINGTON — The State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel, U.S. officials say, as the American ally presses forward with its war against Hamas in Gaza .

The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Biden administration notified Congress of an $8 billion weapons package for Israel, one of the largest new arms sales since the war in Gaza began.

Joe Biden’s administration has provisionally approved $8bn in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president’s close ally after more than a year of war in Gaza. The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress late on Friday in what is known as an informal notification,

The planned arms sale comes just over a fortnight before Biden leaves office The US Department of State has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, an American official has confirmed to the BBC.

The State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel, U.S. officials say, as the American ally presses forward with its war against Hamas in Gaza.