US spending on Middle East conflict tops $22B since Oct. 7, 2023: Research

The United States government has spent more than $22 billion on fighting the conflict in the Middle East since war erupted a year ago on Oct. 7, 2023, according to new research.

The Costs of War project at Brown University found the U.S. has spent at least $22.76 billion on supporting Israel over the past year and for related American military operations in the region, including battling the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea.

The data, which captures costs through Sept. 30, shows the U.S. has provided at least $17.9 billion to support Israeli military operations in Gaza, at the border with Lebanon, in the West Bank, against Iran and other Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East.

The amount provided to Israel in the past year is the highest it’s been since direct U.S. aid to the nation began in 1959, according to researchers. The U.S. has been a top provider of military aid to Israel for decades and has been distributing for years some $3 billion annually to the country.

The aid to Israel includes artillery shells, air defense munitions, precision-guided munitions and heavy bombs, which have been used to devastating effect in Gaza, where more than 41,000 people have died. The Biden administration has been holding a shipment of 2,000 pound bombs since May out of concern of their use to disproportionately harm or kill civilians in Gaza.

The U.S. has spent at least $4.86 billion to support military assets in the region and operations against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November, according to the research.

American troops began a more direct military campaign against the Houthis in January, which has included frequent strikes to knock out incoming attacks and larger strikes to degrade military assets.

In some cases, the Navy has been firing expensive missiles, which can cost up to $4 million, to take out cheap Houthi drones.

The Houthis have hijacked, sunk or heavily damaged several ships in their campaign, which they claim is tied to the Gaza war. Brown University researchers said the Houthis have inflicted a $2.1 billion impact on maritime trade so far.

The U.S. has also deployed around 43,000 troops to the Middle East as part of an effort to deter a wider regional war. Strategic military assets sent to the region include the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, amphibious assault ships and a guided missile submarine.

The research is considered a conservative estimate and likely does not account for the full cost of operations. The Washington Post reported earlier this year that the U.S. has provided 100 small arms deliveries that fall under the threshold of a certain dollar amount that would require congressional notification.

The figures also do not account for the $20 billion in arms sales to Israel that was announced in August, which will take years to be delivered.