Antiwar.com’s Week in Review for September 19th, 2026

The sale includes 48 F-35s and 49 engines (48 equipped with one spare), cryptographic equipment, electronic warfare support, training and logistics packages, according to the notification to Congress. The proposed sale is now subject to congressional review, although Congress rarely succeeds in blocking major arms sales.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines are the primary contractors on the deal. The State Department statement says, “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region.”

However, Israel has previously objected to sales of F-35s to Gulf states and Turkey, arguing that it upsets the balance of power in the Middle East. Tel Aviv often invokes Washington’s policy of ensuring that Israel maintains a Qualitative Military Edge over other countries in the region. The F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the Israeli fleet.

Katz made the comments while discussing the October 2025 ceasefire deal, which Israel has constantly violated with daily attacks that have killed over 1,300 Palestinians since the agreement was signed.

According to The Times of Israel, Katz said that 70% of Gaza has already been emptied of its Palestinian population and that the October 2025 deal had “supreme value for all Israelis” by leading to the return of remaining hostages and ensuring “a commitment by the United States” to disarming Hamas.

“We all understand that this (disarmament) is not going to happen – and the IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan,” he added.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who introduced the resolution to impeach Hegseth, suspected Johnson might take drastic measures to avoid the vote, so he didn’t inform GOP leadership of his plan to introduce the resolution, which he did on the House floor on Tuesday.

“And there it is. Just as I predicted. They’re canceling Congress tomorrow to avoid the vote on IMPEACHING [Hegseth]. It will also make it harder for us to reach 218 signatures on the Epstein Discharge Petition before the election. We were at 190+ signatures last night,” Massie wrote on X after Johnson canceled the votes.

While Johnson didn’t explicitly say the Hegseth impeachment was the reason for canceling Thursday’s votes, Reese Gorman, a reporter for The Washington Sun, reported right before the cancellation was official that some in House leadership “want to avoid a vote on the Hegseth impeachment set to come up tomorrow since it’s privileged.”

The report said the sale, paid for with US taxpayer dollars, will include 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, each weighing 2,000 pounds. It will be funded by the State Department’s Foreign Military Finance program, under which the US provides foreign governments money to purchase US weapons.

Tucker Carlson first reported the massive transfer in a post on X minutes before the Post published the report.

“An American-made Mark 84 has a destruction radius of half a mile. It releases a thermal wave the temperature of the surface of the sun. Within 100 feet of the explosion, rock melts and human flesh turns to vapor,” Carlson said.

While this concept of statecraft can be traced back centuries, its modern interpretation in the Republican lexicon was popularized by President Ronald Reagan. His version of the strategy focused on maintaining military power, and using it as a tool to credibly deter nations – in his time, the Soviet Union – from expanding and spreading their negative influence.

“American strength is a sheltering arm for peace and freedom in an often dangerous world,” Reagan explained. “And strength is the most persuasive argument we have to convince our adversaries to give up their hostile intentions, to negotiate seriously, and to stop bullying other nations.”

This view of foreign policy has been expressed by Republican politicians and talking-heads all throughout the almost four decades since Reagan’s departure from power. However, if we honestly assess American foreign affairs post-Reagan, peace has been hard to come by.

Katz said on Sunday Israel’s intention was to prevent Hezbollah “or any other party” from having a presence around the ridge. He said Israeli forces would take over the area, and that they intended to “eliminate” anyone approaching the ridge for any reason.

This is potentially a major problem for the residents of that area of southern Lebanon. Ali al-Taher Ridge is near multiple municipalities, including the important city of Nabatieh. Recent weeks have seen Israeli forces attacking nearby towns, including Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Tebnit, and Kfar Roumine.

That region is outside of the “yellow zone” that Israel has previously occupied, and Katz’s comments suggest that once again, Israel’s military occupation of Lebanon is encompassing more and more territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments pointed to that continuing.

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