The Biden administration told Congress Tuesday that it was moving forward with giving Israel more than $1 billion in new weapons despite President Joe Biden's warning he would withhold more bombs if there was a ground invasion of Rafah. 

The Wall Street Journal reported the move citing officials who said that the weapons tranfer would include $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds. 

It comes after Biden stalled one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to send a message to Israel about attacking tightly packed urban areas as more than 1 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the southern Gaza city. 

'We are continuing to send military assistance,' national security adviser Jake Sullivan said from the White House podium Monday. 'We have paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we don't believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.' 

It could take years for the fresh $1 billion in weapons to make their way to Israel, but in moving forward with the transfer it indicated Biden didn't want to further sully the relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Sullivan is expected to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia this weekend but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn't confirm an Axios report that said Israel had agreed not to expand its military operation into Rafah ahead of the national security adviser's travels. 

Part of Sullivan's diplomatic mission will also be to push Saudi Arabia on a 'mega-deal' to normalize relations with Israel.