News - Middle East: A new report from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University revealed that the United States has incurred losses exceeding $30 billion as a result of its military operations in the Middle East following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched on October 7, 2023.

According to the report, the financial toll covers a broad range of expenses—including the maintenance of two US carrier strike groups deployed in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the cost of over 1,000 airstrikes, and the extensive use of high-cost missile defense systems against low-cost Yemeni drones and missiles.

The report also noted the use of 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, dropped by US B-2 stealth bombers during the June 2025 attacks on Iran, as a major contributor to rising operational costs.

Record-High Support for 'Israel'

The study estimated that Washington provided $17.9 billion in military assistance to the Israeli entity during the first year of the Gaza war—the highest level of US aid ever extended to the occupation entity.

Overall, between October 2023 and September 2025, total US spending related to the conflict reached approximately $30 billion, including:

$21.7 billion in direct military aid to the Israeli enemy.

$10–12 billion spent on offensive operations in Yemen, Iran, and other regional theaters.

Mounting Costs and Waning Returns

The Watson Institute warned that these expenditures have imposed heavy burdens on American taxpayers, while delivering little strategic benefit.

The report argued that much of the funding was “channeled to sustain Israeli aggression in Gaza,” which, it said, will “fuel hostility toward the United States across the Middle East and beyond for years to come, undermining Washington’s ability to secure cooperation on other global issues.”

Since October 2023, the US has deepened its military involvement in the Middle East, deploying naval and air assets in support of the Israeli enemy and conducting direct operations in Yemen and Iran.

Analysts say the mounting financial and political costs are now prompting debate within Washington over the sustainability of its interventionist policies amid growing regional resistance and shifting global alliances.