US fast-tracks $8.6 billion in arms sales to Middle East allies - NYT

The Trump administration has moved to speed up more than $8.6 billion in weapons sales to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates as efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran remain stalled, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The packages include an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, which fires laser-guided rockets, for Israel, Qatar and the UAE.

They also include air-defense systems for Qatar and Kuwait, which faced repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks during the war.

Qatar is set to buy more than $4 billion in Patriot missile interceptors, while Kuwait’s package is valued at about $2.5 billion.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio used an emergency authority to bypass normal congressional review, drawing criticism from Democrats, the New York Times reported.