The United States has spent a record amount of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and escalated conflicts in the Middle East, according to a report.

The Costs of War project at Brown University published research on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

An additional $4.86 billion has been earmarked for stepped-up US military operations in the region since the October 7, 2023, attacks, researchers said.

That includes the cost of a USNavy-led campaign to crack down on strikes on merchant shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, who are carrying them out in solidarity with the Iranian-backed group Hamas.

The report, completed before Israel opened a second front against Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon in late September, is one of the first tallies of the estimated cost to the US as the Biden administration backs Israel in its conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and seeks to curb hostilities by Iran-allied armed groups in the region.

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