Israel looking to decrease reliance on US defence aid

As the Middle East reels from the US-Israeli war on Iran, Israel is reportedly looking to decrease its reliance on US defence aid, according to Al-Monitor and agencies on May 16th.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Israel to reduce its reliance on foreign military support to allow for a stronger domestic defence industry.

These calls came amid growing criticism of Israel’s defence capabilities, including the failure of an air defence system to intercept missiles over southern Israel in March.

In April, Israel used alternative air defences that were not originally designed for missile interception to counter Iranian strikes, such as David’s Sling.

However, analysts believe that Israel’s reliance on US aid will remain for the foreseeable future because Israel does not currently possess a “collective defence alliance.”

Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has received US economic and military assistance worth over $300 billion.

The signing of a 10-year memorandum of understanding under then-President Barack Obama in 2016 has led the US to provide Israel with aid worth $3.8 billion annually.

On March 6th, the US skipped the mandatory congressional review to grant a $151.8 million munitions sale to Israel.

Although Israel has repeatedly denied experiencing missile interceptor shortages, Pentagon officials warned that the US and Israel were “burning through” supplies in March.

The US is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 53% of Israel’s total conventional arms imports since 2023; Germany accounts for the remaining 47%.

Despite concerns about complicity in war crimes, European nations, including France, Britain, Germany, and Denmark, have continued arms exports to Israel since 2023.

However, Israel has sought to cut its French defence imports following France’s recognition of a Palestinian state and exclusion of Israel from defence exhibitions.

Serbia and the Czech Republic have also sold arms to Israel despite concerns about complicity in genocide amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

India discussed defence cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Israel in February.

During border clashes with Cambodia in late 2025, Thailand’s military reportedly used Israeli-made weapons from Israeli defence contractors, Elbit Systems and Rafael.

Moroccan-Israeli defence ties have flourished since being officially normalised under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.

Human Rights Watch has condemned ongoing arms exports to Israel and urged governments to suspend all weapons shipments.

Maghrebi contacted the Department of War for comment on Israel seeking to reduce its reliance on US aid; the Pentagon Press Operations responded by saying they had “nothing to provide.”

Al-Monitor and agencies, Maghrebi.org