The US spent over $22 billion on fights in the Middle East over the past year, from arming Israel to battling the Houthis, new report says

A US Air Force F-16 operates over the Middle East region in June.

The US has spent more than $22 billion on military operations and conflicts across the Middle East over the past year, according to a new report.

The Costs of War Project, a Brown University research initiative, found that the US has spent at least $22.76 billion on the provision of weapons to Israel and related American military operations in the Middle East since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks triggered a broader regional conflict.

This figure covers costs through the end of September and was made public in a Monday report. It consists of at least $17.9 billion in approved security assistance for Israel and at least $4.86 billion on US military operations, including the Red Sea battle against the Houthis.

The $17.9 billion is the most that the US has spent on military aid to Israel in a single year since 1959, according to the report, which notes that its estimates are “conservative” and don’t cover all financial assistance.

A US military C-17 sits at Israel’s Nevatim Air Base in October 2023. Washington has provided Israel with billions of dollars in security assistance over the past year.

The Biden administration has sent Israel artillery shells, anti-tank missiles, guided bombs, bomb kits, drones, and other weapons since October 2023. Israel has used this weaponry to fight Iran-backed proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Pentagon has also substantially beefed up its military presence in and around the Middle East since the war in Gaza began last October, sending additional troops, warships, and fighter aircraft to the region to defend Israel and American forces from Iran and its proxy groups.

US military operations in the region, including the ongoing Houthi conflict, have cost the country at least $4.86 billion. This figure provides a more comprehensive picture of the fight beyond the cost of munition expenditures, which has already been disclosed.

The Houthis have been consistently attacking merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with missiles and cheap drones. In response, US naval forces have been routinely shooting down these threats and carrying out strikes against the rebels in Yemen using munitions often worth millions. The US has also used its assets to shield Israel from Iranian strikes.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower sails in the Red Sea on June 12. The aircraft carrier spent months battling the Houthis.

“Hostilities have escalated to become the most sustained military campaign by American forces since the 2016-2019 air war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria,” the report said, calling the Houthi fight “an unexpectedly complicated and asymmetrically expensive challenge.”

As the regional conflict shows no signs of slowing down, military spending is likely to increase, in addition to the staggering death toll, which is already extremely high from a year of fighting.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in its brutal October 7 attacks. Israel’s retaliatory and devastating war in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the coastal enclave, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Thousands of people have also been killed in Lebanon, especially in recent weeks, as Israel has intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah.