A report for Brown University’s Costs of War project was released on the anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel.
It states that since the war in Gaza began, the United States has record-breaking spent at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel, which has escalated conflict throughout the Middle East.
According to study data originally made available to reporters, following the attacks on October 7, 2023, the United States has increased its military operations in the region by $4.86 billion.
This includes the price of a Navy-led operation to stop Houthis in Yemen from attacking commercial ships. The Houthis are acting in cooperation with Hamas, another organization supported by Iran.
The report was completed before Israel launched a second front in late September, this time against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon who were backed by Iran.
It is among the first estimates of the estimated costs to the United States as the Biden administration supports Israel in its conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and works to quell hostilities by armed groups with ties to Iran.
In addition to the cost of human lives, there is a financial cost: A year ago, Hamas militants in Israel murdered over 1,200 people and kidnapped several others.
The Health Ministry of Gaza reports that Israel’s counteroffensive has claimed the lives of almost 42,000 Palestinians; the ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians when calculating this number.
Since Israel significantly increased its strikes in Lebanon in late September, at least 1,400 people—including civilians and Hezbollah fighters—have died there.
Laptops 1000Along with fellow academics William D. Hartung and Stephen Semler, Linda J. Bilmes, a professor at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and an expert on the total cost of US wars since the attacks on September 11, 2001, computed the financial costs.
Unprecedented military support for Israel.
As a protégé of the US since its inception in 1948, Israel has received $251.2 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars from the US since 1959, making it the largest recipient of US military aid in history, according to the research.
In inflation-adjusted terms, however, the $17.9 billion spent since October 7, 2023, is by far the largest amount of military aid delivered to Israel in a single year.
When Egypt and Israel signed their 1979 peace accord, which was mediated by the United States, they agreed to annual military aid payments to the country totaling billions of dollars.
This commitment has been maintained since the Obama administration fixed Israel’s share of the annual military aid at $3.8 billion until 2028.
Since the beginning of the Gaza War, the United States has provided aid in the form of military funding, weapons purchases, at least $4.4 billion in stockpile drawdowns, and hand-me-downs of used equipment.
Munitions, ranging from artillery shells to 2,000-pound bunker-busters and precision-guided bombs, made up the majority of the U.S. armaments delivered during the year.
According to the analysis, spending varies from $4 billion to resupply Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems to money for jet fuel and firearms.
The $17.9 billion for the year is a partial amount, the researchers noted, because it was hard to gather the complete details of what the U.S. has supplied Israel since October 7, unlike the publicly documented military aid to Ukraine.
“Efforts to hide the full amounts of aid and types of systems through bureaucratic maneuvering” were mentioned by the Biden administration.
During the presidential campaign, Americans were divided about funding for an important U.S. ally in a war that has cost a great deal of lives to civilians.
However, Biden stated on Friday that “no administration has helped Israel more than I have,” highlighting the long-standing importance of support for Israel in American politics.
American military actions throughout the Middle East
Since the beginning of the Gaza War, the Biden administration has increased its military presence in the area to thwart any attacks on American and Israeli soldiers and be prepared to counter them.
The report stated that the cost of those extra missions was at least $4.86 billion, not considering increased military assistance from the United States to Egypt and other regional allies.
The day Hamas burst through Israeli fortifications encircling Gaza to launch an attack; the United States of America had 34,000 personnel in the Middle East.
When two aircraft carriers were in the area in August, that number increased to roughly 50,000 in an attempt to deter reprisal following the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran from an attack that was ascribed to Israel. There are now about 43,000 in total.
The number of American ships and planes in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden has fluctuated throughout the year. These include aircraft carrier strike groups, an amphibious readiness group, fighter squadrons, and air defense batteries.
According to the Pentagon, another aircraft carrier strike group is scheduled to arrive in Europe shortly, which might result in an additional surge in the number of troops if two carriers are present in the area simultaneously.
The conflict with the Houthis
The Houthis are an armed group that controls the capital and northern regions of Yemen.
Since the beginning of the war, the Houthis have been waging an offensive against the U.S. troops and have been firing on commerce ships in the Red Sea in support of Gaza.
The $4.86 billion cost to the United States was described by academics as a “surprisingly complex and asymmetrically expensive challenge.”
The Houthis have persisted in attacking ships that are traveling the vital trade route, prompting US raids on launch pads and other objectives. The Navy has not engaged in sea combat this fierce since World War II as a result of this campaign.
As per the writers, “the United States has utilized numerous aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and costly multimillion-dollar missiles against inexpensive Iranian-made Houthi drones that cost $2,000.”
According to officials, the U.S. military attacked more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, targeting facilities, weaponry, and other equipment.
At least $55 million in additional combat pay from the stepped-up operations in the area was factored into the researchers’ findings.
