US Spent a Record $17.9 Billion on Military Aid to Israel Since Last Oct. 7

The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project, released Monday on the anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel.

An additional $4.86 billion has gone into stepped-up U.S. military operations in the region since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, researchers said in findings first provided to The Associated Press. That includes the costs of a Navy-led campaign to quell strikes on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, who are carrying them out in solidarity with the fellow Iranian-backed group Hamas.

Source: AP

The $17.9 billion also does not include a major $20.3 billion arms deal that the State Department approved for Israel in August since the money will be spent in the coming years. It’s also unclear at this time how much of the $20.3 billion, which includes an $18.8 billion deal for F-15 fighter jets, will be covered by US military aid.

The paper details how the US has provided Israel with weapons for decades. “The US has been Israel’s top arms supplier for over five decades. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US aid in the world since World War II, and it is in the midst of a ten-year, $38 billion military aid agreement, which was negotiated under the Obama administration, covering the fiscal years 2019 to 2028,” the paper reads.

The report says the US has spent at least $4.8 billion on its own military operations in the Middle East, including $2.4 billion on intercepting Houthi missiles and drones and launching missile strikes on Yemen. Another $2.4 billion for spending on US operations in the region was included in the $95 billion foreign military aid bill President Biden signed into law in April. The paper adds another $50-$70 million in additional combat pay for US military personnel.

Source: Antiwar.com