White House to require assurances from countries receiving weapons that they're abiding by U.S. law

The Biden administration will be requiring countries that receive weapons from the U.S. to provide "credible and reliable" written assurances to the State Department that they will use those weapons in accordance with the laws of war, according to a national security memorandum released Thursday. 

The executive action applies globally to the more than 100 countries that currently receive American arms and aid and adds a new requirement that an annual report be sent to Congress. 

The move comes as the Biden administration faces pressure from top Democratic lawmakers to limit civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip as Israel wages its fourth month of war against Hamas. The U.S. provides billions of dollars of military assistance to Israel each year, which some progressives, like independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, have argued, makes the U.S. complicit in civilian deaths.