Israel, Fighting a War, Says It Sold More Weapons Than Ever Last Year
Israel sold more weapons to other countries in 2024 than ever, government officials said on Wednesday, even as it fought on multiple fronts in the longest war in its history.
Israeli producers signed contracts to export about $14.8 billion in weapons last year, up from a previous record high of $13 billion in 2023, according to new data from Israel's Defense Ministry.
The figures reflect the remarkable speed at which Israel has ramped up its wartime production and sought new markets in Europe, where demand is growing for arms to protect against Russian aggression. They are also a rare respite in a domestic economy that has struggled during the war.
Some of the weapons were delivered in 2024, and others are part of arms deals that will take longer to complete. But the overall increase in sales came while Israeli forces were launching offensives in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and bombarding Iran and Yemen, in what Defense Minister Israel Katz called on Wednesday 'a difficult and complex year of war.'
Even as it was shipping weapons abroad, Israel also received at least $17.9 billion in military aid, including weapons, from the United States in the 12 months after Hamas led a deadly invasion on Oct. 7, 2023. Researchers have called that a conservative estimate.
Compared with American arms sales abroad — which accounted for at least $200 billion in the fiscal year that ended in September — Israel's exports are small.
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