Netanyahu Blames Biden-Era Arms Embargo for IDF Casualties
As Israel buries its last hostage, a furious Prime Minister Netanyahu has exposed the lethal cost of the Biden administration’s arms embargo, charging that "soldiers fell" because Washington froze critical weapons in a bid to win votes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignited a heated exchange with former advisers to U.S. President Joe Biden after claiming during a Tuesday evening press conference that a U.S. arms embargo contributed to the deaths of Israeli soldiers during the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu stated: "At a certain point in the war, we didn’t have enough ammunition, and soldiers fell, heroes fell. Part of the ammunition shortage was the result of an embargo. I resolved that we would never reach such a situation again. We must have an independent weapons industry as much as possible. The embargo situation changed beyond recognition with the entry of President Trump’s administration."
In response, former Biden adviser Brett McGurk issued a statement denying the claims: "This statement by Netanyahu is completely false. Biden ended his term with a ceasefire in Gaza and the hostages returning home, a ceasefire in Lebanon after Hezbollah was defeated, and Iran in its weakest position since 1979 following two failed missile launch attempts, thanks to the deployment of U.S. military forces and a coordinated response that destroyed Iran’s air defense systems. President Biden’s commitment to Israel’s security, including American military assistance, was unwavering throughout the entire war."
Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal countered McGurk's remarks, posting a fact-check: "And now the facts: Biden imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel, halted the transfer of bulldozers that Israel had already paid for, which led to soldiers being put at risk and killed. He caused the IDF to enter Rafah with tanks that didn’t have full ammunition loads, which also put soldiers at risk and led to casualties. Biden opposed the assassination of Nasrallah; his defense secretary cursed during a phone call with Gallant when Gallant told him that our aircraft had taken out the Hezbollah leader. Iran was not at a low point when Biden left, on the contrary, it was confident enough to launch two barrages at Israel. The cease-fire that Biden longs for was, for him, a goal rather than a means. We’ve all been around for more than a year, so we were here when it happened, there’s no need to deceive us with lies and propaganda."
Segal also addressed comments from Biden's envoy Amos Hochstein, who accused Netanyahu of "lying and showing ingratitude toward President Biden, who saved Israel at the most vulnerable moment in its history." Segal replied: "Amos, you are stuck in October 7 and are ignoring the ugly U-turn in 2024. We know about the embargo on bulldozers. We know about the resistance to taking out Nasrallah. And we know the names of the soldiers who died after entering booby-trapped houses because your administration stopped the shipments of bulldozers Israel had already paid for—because you were hoping not to lose Michigan."
Galei Tzahal military correspondent Doron Kadosh supported Segal's points, noting: "When Israel entered Rafah in May 2024, the Biden administration decided to impose an embargo both on heavy bombs—type MK-84, and on D-9 engineering bulldozers. These were weapons and tools essential for the destruction of structures, neutralization of explosives, and booby-trapped houses, and therefore, to the best of my understanding, Netanyahu linked this weapons embargo to the fall of soldiers. When Israel didn’t have enough engineering tools to neutralize explosives and open routes, and didn’t have enough heavy bombs to drop on booby-trapped structures, the IDF indeed paid a heavy price of fatalities during the ground war as a result of explosives and booby traps."
Additional reports indicate that beyond halting bulldozers and heavy munitions, the Biden administration denied urgent Israeli requests for Apache helicopters and opposed reallocating U.S.-ordered helicopters to the IDF. In November 2024, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin threatened further restrictions unless Israel increased aid to Gaza civilians.
These actions occurred despite acknowledgments that Israel took extensive measures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza, surpassing standards set by other nations, including the U.S.
With Netanyahu vowing to end Israel's military dependence on "fickle allies," the bridge between the current government and the Biden legacy has officially been incinerated.
YWN contributed to this article.