Israel
Country Spotlight
Although Israel has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s, it maintains a policy of nuclear opacity, never officially confirming the existence of its nuclear weapons program and arsenal. Accordingly, Israel has never signed the NPT. Israel manufactures and deploys a diverse range of technologically sophisticated ballistic missile, cruise missile, and missile defense systems.
See Israel's performance in:
Region Middle East and North Africa
90 Estimated nuclear warheads
750–1110 kg Approximate plutonium stockpile, potentially enough for 187-277 nuclear weapons
6 Dolphin-I and Dolphin II-class submarines operated, believed capable of launching nuclear-armed cruise missiles
4,800 – 6,500 km Potential range of the Jericho III intermediate-range ballistic missile
Nuclear
- Believed to possess enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium to produce up to 300 nuclear weapons
- No declared nuclear weapons tests, but believed to have conducted atmospheric test in cooperation with South Africa in 1979
- Opposes diplomatic efforts to establish a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East
- Suspected of expanding its facility at Dimona to increase its nuclear capabilities
Biological
- Non-membership in BTWC and lack of public commentary has led to speculation of offensive weapons capabilities
- Operates sophisticated biodefense program
- Adopted export controls on biological materials in line with Australia Group standards
Missile
- Produces a variety of missiles including sea-launched cruise missiles as well as short and long range ballistic missiles
- Employs a sophisticated multi-layered missile defense system, which includes the Arrow-2, Arrow-3, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome systems. These systems have been highly effective in defending against ballistic missile attacks from Iran and the Yemeni Houthis
- Considered unilateral adherent to the MTCR restrictions on missile exports
- Used UAVs and warplanes equipped with air-to-surface missiles to conduct strikes on Iranian missile and nuclear facilities in June 2025
Chemical
- Evidence suggests development of an extensive chemical weapons program in the 1950s
- Likely possesses capability to produce nerve agents, including binary agents
- Maintains active chemical weapons defense program
Treaties and Regimes Memberships
Sources
International Panel on Fissile Materials, “Fissile Material Stocks,” April 28, 2025, https://fissilematerials.org.
International Panel on Fissile Materials, “Country: Israel,” May 22, 2025, https://fissilematerials.org.
National Security Council, Memorandum, “Subject: South Atlantic Nuclear Event,” October 22, 1979 (Washington, DC, 1979), p. 1.
Avner Cohen, “Israel and Chemical/Biological Weapons: History, Deterrence, and Arms Control,” The Nonproliferation Review, Fall/Winter 2001, p. 40.
Magnus Normark, Anders Lindblad, Anders Norqvist, Björn Sandström, and Louise Waldenström, “Israel and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities,” (Umeå: FOI — Swedish Defence Research Agency, 2005), pp. 36-40.
Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda, SIPRI Yearbook 2024: World Nuclear Forces Overview, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, January 2024, www.sipri.org.
Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda, “Nuclear Notebook: Israeli nuclear weapons, 2022,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 17, 2022, www.thebulletin.org.
Lara Jakes, “As Israel Targets Iran’s Nuclear Program, It Has a Secret One of Its Own,” New York Times, June 17, 2025, https://nytimes.com.
Eric Wertheim, “Dolphin-Class Submarines: Israel’s Undersea Arsenal,” U.S. Naval Institute, Proceedings, June 2024, www.usni.org.
Missile Defense Project, “Jericho 3,” Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies, May 12, 2017, https://missilethreat.csis.org.
“What is Israel’s multi-layered defence against Iranian missiles?” Reuters, June 16, 2025, https://reuters.com.