Trump says US will end about US$4 billion a year in direct military aid to Israel by year's end

Summary

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that roughly US$4 billion a year in direct military funding Israel receives from Washington would be cut off by the end of the year. The South China Morning Post reports that the close defence relationship will be restructured over the next two years, with direct annual aid phased out in favour of joint weapons technology programmes, a shift it frames as trading grants for tech cooperation. The Times of Israel reports that Netanyahu's office, in its first comment on the statement, did not deny the announcement and said the US-Israeli move "from aid to partnership" shows the strength of the relationship.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   6 Nov 2026, 05:00 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Trump's announcement cutting about US$4 billion a year in direct military aid to Israel reflects a push to trade grants for joint weapons technology cooperation, with the aid phased out over two years.

2. The Times of Israel

   6 Nov 2026, 12:43 UTCSource ↗

   The Times of Israel reports that Netanyahu's office did not deny Trump's announcement of an imminent halt to US military aid, and said the move "from aid to partnership" shows the strength of the relationship.