Pentagon chief confirms US has paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed the U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns the country was approaching a decision to launch a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S. Confirmed Wednesday, the shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, with the focus of U.S. concern being the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban setting. More than 1 million civilians are sheltering in Rafah after evacuating other parts of Gaza amid Israel’s war on Hamas, which came after the militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7.