The Israeli Defense Ministry announced last week that it had signed its first deal using an $8.7 billion military aid package it received from the US to purchase munitions for its Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Defense Ministry said it signed a contract with the Israeli arms maker Rafael on January 16. The ministry did not say how much the deal was worth but noted that $5.2 billion out of the $8.7 billion it received from the US was allocated to go toward Israel’s missile defense systems.
The Israeli Defense Ministry first announced in September 2024 that it had received $8.7 billion from the US, which came from the $95 billion foreign military aid bill President Biden signed into law in April 2024.
Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided Israel with at least $22 billion in military aid, which supported the genocidal war in Gaza, Israel’s war in Lebanon, Israeli operations in Syria, the West Bank, and attacks on Iran and Yemen.
President Biden provided more military aid to Israel in a single year than any US president in history. Israeli officials expect President Trump to step up aid to Israel, including by releasing a 2,000-pound bomb shipment that Biden had delayed as a PR move to make it seem like he was putting pressure on Israel.
Trump signed an executive order pausing “foreign development assistance,” but it’s not expected to impact the flow of weapons to Israel.
