Jerusalem, Undefined – Israeli defense exports hit an all-time high of $12.5 billion last year, with Arab countries that recently established ties accounting for nearly a quarter of purchase contracts, officials said Wednesday.
The defense ministry, which oversees and approves the exports of Israel’s defense industries, said one quarter of deals were for drone systems, with “missiles, rockets and air defense systems” making up another 19 percent.
Ministry figures show total exports have doubled over the past nine years.
A breakdown of the regions to which the goods are exported showed a leap among Abraham Accords countries from $853 million (nine percent) in 2021 to $2.96 billion (24 percent) in 2022.
The US-brokered Abraham Accords from 2020 saw Israel normalize ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
The defense ministry would not provide further details.
“Global instability increases the demand for Israeli air defense systems, drones, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and missiles, and we continually work to preserve our capabilities and strengthen them,” defense ministry director general Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
The German parliament was set to approve a $4.3 billion deal later Wednesday to purchase Israel’s Arrow 3 air defense system, as the country moves to bolster its defenses following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.