White House spokesperson John Kirby on Monday refused to confirm reports that the Biden administration halted a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel.
“I’m not going to confirm that,” Mr. Kirby told reporters at the daily White House press briefing.
He declined to elaborate beyond saying the administration’s support for Israel is “ironclad.”
Reports surfaced over the weekend that the administration halted the shipments in the midst of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. CNN reported that the decision was unrelated to the U.S. opposition to an invasion of Rafah by the Israelis.
An unnamed Israeli official downplayed the report to Axios, which first broke the news, saying the Jewish state was “not aware” of a decision to stop the flow of arms and that U.S. shipments are continuing.
The Biden administration has committed to supporting Israel in its war against Hamas, signing legislation providing $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid for the war last week. But officials have also warned Israel against moving into Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering from the war.
Israeli leaders say a ground invasion against Rafah is inevitable, but the United Nations and the Biden administration have repeatedly urged Israel not to attack Rafah without a clear effort to avoid civilian losses.