Tucker Carlson Issues Warning on Report of Israel Bomb Sale—’No Precedent’ - Newsweek

Tucker Carlson wrote a lengthy social media post alleging that the United States is preparing to send 40,000 bombs to Israel, warning “there is no precedent for what the Trump administration is doing.”

Carlson, the former Fox News host and supporter of President Donald Trump, who has increasingly criticized the administration on foreign policy, has visited Israel during the war in Gaza and has been a vocal critic of it as well as U.S. support for Israel, claimed in the post that Washington is planning a major new weapons shipment to the country, sending over “40,000 tons of bombs.”

Israel is among the largest recipients of U.S. military aid, with Washington providing billions of dollars in security assistance under a longstanding strategic partnership. Recent polling, however, shows declining support among some Americans for Israel's military operations in Gaza and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The issue has exposed divisions within Trump's political coalition. Some supporters aligned with the "America First" movement have argued that the U.S. should avoid deeper involvement in overseas conflicts, including the war in Gaza, and instead focus on domestic priorities.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Washington Post that a $2.8 billion package of 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s (both are types of aircraft bombs) to Israel is forthcoming.

A senior Trump administration official told Newsweek on Tuesday, “All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales," and a State Department official told Newsweek, "As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress."

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department, Pentagon, White House, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for comment and confirmation via email on Tuesday.

Citing an informed federal official, Carlson said the U.S. is planning to send tens of thousands of MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs to Israel. The 2,000-pound bombs are known for their mass destruction, with Carlson pointing out “an American-made Mark 84 has a destruction radius of half a mile.”

The reported sale comes nearly three years after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which it killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. The attack triggered Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, where more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities.

Carlson went on to note that the sheer volume of the sale "appears to be the largest transfer of conventional explosive ordnance from the United States in modern history." He referenced the Air Force's attack on Berlin, Germany, in March 1945 during World War II, noting that planes dropped "about 3,000 tons of bombs," as a comparison.

He noted that this shipment is "more than three times the destructive power of that nuclear explosion," in reference to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. That bomb yielded a 15-kiloton explosion, which is roughly equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. A Mark 84 bomb contains around 1,000 pounds of TNT, meaning the alleged sale has much more TNT than the Hiroshima bomb.

"There is no precedent for what the Trump administration is doing," he said.

Referring to Israel's use of the bombs, Carlson said the IDF dropped hundreds of them on densely populated areas of Gaza, adding, “The slaughter was so grotesque and embarrassing that for a moment the Biden administration paused a shipment of Mark 84s.”

The Biden administration halted the delivery of about 1,800 of the bombs and another 1,700 smaller 500-pound bombs. "I made it clear that if they enter Rafah—and they haven't entered Rafah yet—if they do, I will not supply the weapons that have historically been used to address the situation in Rafah and other cities,” Biden said during a CNN interview in May 2024. Trump resumed the shipments once he took office months later.

“By any definition, what the Netanyahu government has done in Gaza is genocide,” Carlson stated. Israel has repeatedly denied genocide allegations related to the war.

He added, “The 40,000 new bombs the Trump administration is sending will be used to do the same in Lebanon, and likely in other countries in the region.” Israel has launched several military operations in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, with the operations resulting in significant casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Israel says the campaigns are intended to counter Hezbollah, which it views as a major security threat and has accused of carrying out rocket and other attacks across the border.

Carlson argued that, “If you wanted to extend the Iran war into the indefinite future, this is exactly what you’d do.”

The political commentator ended his post calling upon Americans, writing, “only public outrage can stop this.”

Other Republicans, like former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has recently aligned with Carlson on “America First” policy, shared Carlson’s post, adding, “We did not vote for this. America does not support this.”

She concluded her post, “Our tax dollars and weapons have been used to kill tens of thousands of innocent people. My God, what comes next?”

The Mark 84, a 2,000-pound general-purpose bomb, has been used by the U.S. military and its allies in conflicts dating back to the Cold War era, including the Vietnam War. Human rights groups and military analysts have long warned that the weapon's large blast radius can cause extensive destruction and increase the risk of civilian casualties when used in densely populated areas. The Mark 84 is known for creating 50-foot-wide craters and can penetrate up to 15 inches of metal.

The Washington Post also reported that the alleged sale includes 20,000 I-2000 Penetrators, bunker-busting bombs used to target deeply buried or underground facilities.

Israel is one of America's closest allies in the Middle East and among the largest recipients of U.S. military assistance. Under a 10-year security agreement signed in 2016, Washington provides about $3.8 billion annually in military aid and missile defense funding.

Following Hamas’ attack, the U.S. approved billions of dollars in additional military assistance and emergency funding for its ally, supplementing the longstanding aid package Israel receives annually. In April 2024, Congress passed supplemental appropriations that provided $8.7 billion to Israel.

William D. Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute, estimates the U.S. spent an additional $21.7 billion between October 7, 2023, and September 2025.

While the U.S.-Israel alliance has historically enjoyed broad support from both major political parties, the war in Gaza has fueled debate in the United States over continued military assistance and Washington's role in the conflict.

About 37 percent of Americans somewhat support the U.S. providing additional economic and military support to Israel, a May New York Times/Siena poll found. A majority, 57 percent, somewhat oppose the U.S. doing so. The poll of 1,507 registered voters was conducted between May 11 and 15 and has a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points.

Supporters of continued U.S. aid to Israel argue that the assistance is necessary to help protect a key U.S. ally and maintain regional stability. They contend that Hamas' control of Gaza and persistent security threats facing Israel make an immediate cutoff of military and economic support impractical.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that among independents, only 27 percent support continuing to provide military and economic support to Israel. About 28 percent have no opinion while 43 percent oppose the matter.

Members of Congress have repeatedly put forward proposals to cut U.S. aid to Israel, including Representative Thomas Massie’s recent amendment to eliminate $3.3 billion in annual support. It was unsuccessful on the floor.

Americans' views on Israel and the Palestinians have shifted in recent years. A June Quinnipiac University poll found that 48 percent of voters said the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, the highest share recorded since the survey began asking the question in 2017. The poll found that 66 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of independents and 20 percent of Republicans believed U.S. support for Israel is too high.

A June AP-NORC poll found that 58 percent of Democrats said the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, up from 45 percent in January 2024, while 60 percent of Republicans said the current level of U.S. support is "about right."

Overall, 31 percent of U.S. adults said they believe Israel's military actions in Gaza constitute genocide, while 49 percent said they did not know enough to say and 20 percent said they did not believe they constitute genocide.

The survey also found Democrats have become increasingly supportive of Palestinians while support for Israel has declined within the party. Sixty-two percent of Democrats said the U.S. is not supportive enough of Palestinians, up from 49 percent in January 2024.

The survey of 3,040 adults was conducted between June 11 and 17, with a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points.

A February 2026 Gallup poll found that 46 percent of Americans viewed Israel favorably, while a record 37 percent viewed the Palestinian Territories favorably, the highest the poll has recorded. Gallup polls show that Israel's favorability has declined significantly from the much higher ratings it received in previous decades, while views of the Palestinian Territories have become increasingly positive. Israel has long been one of the United States' closest allies, enjoying support from both Republican and Democratic administrations.

A Pew Research survey of 12,574 Americans conducted May 4-17 found that Americans' view of the Israeli government has significantly decreased since 2022, when 65 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of the Israeli government compared to 35 percent of Democrats. The latest survey found 51 percent of Republicans do and 16 percent of Democrats.

A May Reuters/Ipsos poll found Israel's favorability rating among Democrats had fallen from 59 percent in 2018 to 22 percent.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas