News - Middle East: Washington spent over $22 billion on military operations in the region last year, particularly in direct confrontations with Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea in support of Israel, Business Insider revealed.

The newspaper described the US Navy's fight against Yemeni forces as "complex" and "extremely costly."

A research initiative from Brown University’s "Costs of War Project" found that the US spent at least $22.76 billion on providing weapons to Israel and related American military operations in the Middle East. This figure, covering costs through September, includes at least $17.9 billion in security aid for Israel and $4.86 billion for failed US military operations targeting Yemeni forces in the Red Sea.

The report added that the Biden administration has sent artillery shells, anti-tank missiles, guided bombs, drones, and other weapons to Israel since October 2023. Israel has used these weapons to combat the resistance axis, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as to strike Yemen.

The Pentagon has significantly bolstered its military presence in the Middle East since the start of Israel's criminal war on Gaza last October, deploying additional troops, warships, and fighter jets to the region in defense of Israel.

Business Insider confirmed that Yemeni forces continue to carry out military operations against Israeli ships and their affiliates in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden using low-cost drones and missiles. In response, US naval forces routinely attempt to neutralize these threats and carry out strikes against Sana'a’s forces, often using munitions worth millions of dollars. The newspaper described this fight against Yemeni forces as an "unexpectedly complex and asymmetrically costly challenge."

In November 2023, Yemeni Armed Forces began targeting Israeli ships, or vessels linked to Israel, in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and as far as the Mediterranean, using missiles and drones. 

Yemeni forces' strikes are in solidarity with Gaza and in response to the ongoing siege and genocide since October 7, 2023, as well as the aggression led by the United States and the United Kingdom against Yemen.