In an apparent about-face, the Bush Administration announced on Friday that it has decided to approve the sale of 1,000 advanced bunker-buster bombs to Israel.

The US Department of Defense announced the planned sale, which will significantly improve Israel's strike capability, despite reservations that Jerusalem is planning to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

The particular bomb approved for the sale is the Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39), which despite weighing only 250 pounds carries the destructive power of a one-ton bomb.

Earlier in the month, Washington reportedly denied a request by Israel for bunker-buster bombs and a flight corridor through Iraqi airspace.