Two top congressional Democrats approve $18bn sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel

Two top Democrat holdouts in US Congress have put their support behind an $18bn sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel, lifting the last remaining hurdle for the sale to move forward, several major newspapers have reported.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs commitee, and Senator Ben Cardin, who currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, both announced that they signed off on the deal under pressure from President Joe Biden's administration after the lawmakers had held up supporting the deal over their concerns about Israel's conduct in the war on Gaza.

"Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the [Biden] administration, and that's why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward," Eric Harris, communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Washington Post in a statement.

Read more: Two top congressional Democrats approve $18bn sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel