The activation of Israeli air defenses in response to an overnight Iranian drone and missile attack likely cost over $1 billion, according to Brig. Gen. Reem Aminoach, former financial advisor to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff.
The Iranian attack, which came in response to Israel bombing Iran’s consulate in Damascus, led to Israel activating several types of air defense systems, including the Arrow, David’s Sling, and the Iron Dome.
“If we’re talking about ballistic missiles that need to be brought down with an Arrow system, cruise missiles that need to be brought down with other missiles, and UAVs, which we actually bring down mainly with airplanes—then add up the costs—$3.5 million for an Arrow missile, $1 million for a David’s Sling, and such and such costs for airplanes. An order of magnitude of 4-5 billion shekels ($1-1.3 billion),” Aminoach told Ynet.
The US, the UK, and Jordan also helped Israel intercept drones. Israel claimed that 99% of the over 300 missiles and drones fired by Iran were intercepted, but some got through and damaged the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. Only one person was reported injured by the attack on Israel, a seven-year-old Bedouin girl who was hit with shrapnel, and no one was killed.
For the Iranian side, launching the attacks cost significantly less than Israel’s defense. According to Middle East Eye, some estimates put the number at less than 10% of what it cost Israel to defend itself from the attack.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the Iranian attack on Israel was “limited” and said it only targeted military sites. “We sent a message early this morning to the White House and stated that this was a limited operation with minimum force only to secure our rights on legitimate defense and to punish the Israeli regime,” he said.
Amirabdollahian added that the military base Iran targeted hosted F-35s, which Israel used to target Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1. The Israeli bombing of a diplomatic facility was a huge escalation in its targeting of Iranians in the region. It killed six Syrians and seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including a senior Quds Force commander and another general.
In Yemen the US/UK attacks have cost enough that they could have just given each killed Ansar Allah fighter killed $860,000 to $2,000,000 (depending on what armament was expended) to stop fighting and it would have been cheaper.
For the US to really “stop fighting” is never an option.
If there’s no enemy then how are they going to justify the war toy budget? If there isn’t an enemy then by the gods we can create one!
The US will find a way to get involved with the war on Iran by hook or crook which in itself is av statement of politics in America. The US has had a hard one for Iran since their elected leader kicked out the Oil Companies.We installed the Shah and his terror police. The Clerics established a new government leaving the US and its oil grubbing out in the cold.
Unless you’re a weapons manufacturer. war is a costly business..
Israel paid a Billion to not getting hit by rockets and drones.
US and its allies must have paid more.
Iran paid in future contracts (if the reports on the low quality of their technology is to be believed).
The Palestinians, once again, were sidelined out of the news cycle.
In conclusion, no winners. just losers and a great abundance of idiocy.
There is one winner, the US and Israel defensive contractors. Those weapons will have to be replaced.
US taxpayers to cover the bill…!
Now we can see clearly where our health care and education are going.
I’m wondering, if Israel spent a billion dollars then how much did the US, UK, France and Jordan spend? I’d be a little surprised if it wasn’t close to a billion more.
Don’t wonder, google it.
This doesn’t signify …. It’s all just US working class dollars.
Well, that’s what Israel has wanted all this time: to force war against Iran, right? And it doesn’t look like they have changed their mind at all: they live on the legend of the 6 days’ war and what will probably happen is that the USA will lose Iraq and Jordan and that the Iranian Army will march unimpeded all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.
US-made weapons are extremely costly and growingly inefficient. This is because of the “consolidation” of the MIC in the days of Bill Clinton the great deregulator, more neoliberal than all the Republicans together. In those days the MIC became essentially a monopoly, and we all know that monopolies tend to extreme inefficiency, and private monopolies, based on greed and only greed, are much worse than public ones.
No what happens the American working class is going to get screwed out of a decent life with a largen chance of no life at all.
“For the Iranian side, launching the attacks cost significantly less than Israel’s defense. According to Middle East Eye, some estimates put the number at less than 10% of what it cost Israel to defend itself from the attack.”
BS!!
That may be true. Defense cost more than the attack. The solution? Attack Iran. Make them pay to defend their targets or lose their targets.
Israel will make that money and more back on sales of its anti missile defence systems.
I’m sure president dim wit is good for it.