How many nuclear weapons does Israel actually have?

Earlier this month, Israeli officials warned they will do everything in their power to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if necessary, Israel would act to prevent such a development. These comments followed the news that the United Nations nuclear watchdog closed two investigations into Iran’s nuclear program.

Additionally, European countries have recently urged U.S. President Joe Biden to revive negotiations in Vienna over Iran’s nuclear program — negotiations that Jerusalem vehemently opposes.

Israel and Iran have engaged in a shadow war for more than four decades, and Israel views its top adversary’s nuclear program as a red line. While Israel keeps its own suspected nuclear program under wraps, it is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction.

Nuclear Development

When Israel was founded in 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was adamant about protecting the country’s new borders from hostile neighbors. Around this time, a unit within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Science Corps dubbed HEMED GIMMEL began initial geological surveys of the Negev. Over the next decade or so, the unit would continue to pursue atomic energy studies. In the 1960s, Israel teamed up with the French aerospace company Dassault to create the Jericho ballistic missile program. Ultimately, France withdrew from the program, but Israel powered on and produced the two-stage solid-fuel Jericho-1 missile on its own.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Jericho missile was reportedly put on high alert. Many experts assert that nuclear weapons were loaded onto these missiles when the IDF was unable to thwart incoming surprise attacks in the Sinai Desert and at the Golan Heights. As the conflict progressed, however, Israel was able to successfully combat enemy forces through combat.