Republican and Democratic U.S. senators have introduced a bill to provide $3.3 billion in annual aid to Israel.
The bill seeks to put into law an aid agreement between the two countries reached in 2016 amid concern over rising Middle East tensions.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Chris Coons co-sponsored the bill, a standalone provision of a broader measure that stalled a year ago.
Rubio and Coons introduced the bill amid increased tensions in the Middle East after President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and Tehran retaliated with a missile attack on an Iraqi base housing U.S. soldiers.
On Thursday, the region remained on edge as Iran spurned Trump’s call for a new nuclear pact and its commanders threatened more attacks.
The bill would put into law a “Memorandum of Understanding” reached between Israel and the Obama administration from four years ago that was the biggest pledge of U.S. military assistance made to any country.
