An Apache helicopter flies over the Cairo skyline during demonstrators at Tahrir Square on July 26, 2013. Ed Giles/Getty Images

The U.S. has put a hold on delivering tanks and fighter jets to Egypt, officials said Wednesday in an apparent show of Washington’s disapproval of a violent crackdown of protesters by its traditional Middle East ally.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of State said certain "large-scale military systems" would not be sent to Cairo "pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections."

The move comes after a July coup that deposed President Mohamed Morsi and a brutal crackdown of his Muslim Brotherhood supporters that led to hundreds of deaths.

"The United States continues to support a democratic transition and oppose violence as a means of resolving differences within Egypt," the State Department said.

Reiterating that statement, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that U.S. curtailment of aid to Egypt was "by no means" a withdrawal from a relationship with the country.

Washington will continue to supply parts for military equipment as well as military training. And humanitarian aid will continue to flow.

But in a signal to Cairo’s new military rulers, large-scale military items will be withheld.

The moratorium will affect Abrams tanks, F-16 aircraft, Apache helicopters and Harpoon missiles, a congressional source told Reuters.

Washington also plans to halt a $260 million cash transfer and a planned $300 million loan guarantee to the Cairo government, the source said, after members of Congress were briefed by officials from the State Department about the administration's plans.

The $1.55 billion in annual aid, of which $1.3 billion is in the form of direct military assistance, is the second-largest amount of annual aid that the U.S.disburses — only Israel receives more.

Egyptian government installations have been under attack in recent months by armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula, a popular destination for Western tourists. In that realm, the U.S. said it will continue to help provide security.

Egyptian military spokesman Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali declined immediate comment on the U.S. statement. Before the announcement, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian military leader, described his country's relations with the United States as "strategic" and founded on mutual interests. But he told the Cairo daily Al-Masry al-Youm, in an interview published Wednesday, that Egypt would not tolerate pressure, "whether through actions or hints."

Neighboring Israel also has indicated concern. The Israelis consider U.S. aid to Egypt to be important support for the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

U.S. defense secretary Chuck Hagel phoned al-Sisi on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the decision.

"They left the call in a very cordial, professional, and positive tone," a U.S. administration official said.