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Nuclear Forces·Israel

Nuclear weapons of Israel

An estimated 90 warheads, delivered by air, sea, land forces.

Total inventory
90warheads
Military stockpile
902026
Deployed
0
Delivery
Air Sea Land

Overview

Israel is universally assessed to possess nuclear weapons — analysts estimate a stockpile of roughly 90 warheads — but has never confirmed it, maintaining its decades-old policy of deliberate ambiguity (amimut): it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East, a formula it has never defined. It has conducted no acknowledged nuclear test, and produces plutonium at the Dimona reactor, in operation since the 1960s.

The arsenal is believed to span three vectors: Jericho ballistic missiles, with the Jericho II being replaced by the Jericho III, F-15I and F-16I squadrons — with the F-35I a candidate platform — and Dolphin-class submarines armed with cruise missiles widely reported to be nuclear-capable, giving a second-strike capability from the sea. SIPRI's rough split assigns about 30 warheads to aircraft, 50 to the Jericho force and 10 to the sea leg.

Israel is not a party to the NPT, alongside India, Pakistan and North Korea. In June 2025 it struck Iran's nuclear complex in a twelve-day campaign joined by US strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. A second war opened on 28 February 2026, with Israel's Operation Roaring Lion and the US Operation Epic Fury. A ceasefire on 8 April and a US-Iran memorandum in June were followed by renewed fighting from 8 July 2026.

The 2026 war also brought the first missile strikes near Israel's own nuclear complex. On 21 March 2026 Iranian ballistic missiles hit the towns of Dimona and Arad, injuring more than 100 people; Israel said they were the first missiles not intercepted around Dimona. The IAEA reported no sign of damage to the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center and no abnormal radiation.

Satellite imagery through the 2020s has shown major construction at Dimona, read by analysts as renewal of the production complex. The sea leg is growing too: INS Drakon, the sixth Dolphin-class boat, arrived at Haifa in September 2026 with air-independent propulsion and an enlarged sail — a vertical launch system is reported but unconfirmed — and the three Dakar-class submarines ordered from Germany are expected from about 2031. Amimut survived both wars intact: Israel still neither confirms nor denies.

Delivery systems

Ballistic missile (assessed)

Jericho

 Reported nuclear-capable submarine

Dolphin

 Dual-capable aircraft (assessed)

F-15I Ra'am

 Dual-capable aircraft (assessed)

F-16I Sufa
Stockpile historyest. warheads
1967 — 2 warheads 1967 1968 — 4 warheads 1969 — 6 warheads 1970 — 8 warheads 1971 — 11 warheads 1972 — 13 warheads 1973 — 15 warheads 1974 — 17 warheads 1975 — 20 warheads 1975 1976 — 22 warheads 1977 — 24 warheads 1978 — 26 warheads 1979 — 29 warheads 1980 — 31 warheads 1981 — 33 warheads 1982 — 35 warheads 1983 — 38 warheads 1983 1984 — 40 warheads 1985 — 42 warheads 1986 — 44 warheads 1987 — 47 warheads 1988 — 49 warheads 1989 — 51 warheads 1990 — 53 warheads 1991 — 56 warheads 1991 1992 — 58 warheads 1993 — 60 warheads 1994 — 62 warheads 1995 — 63 warheads 1996 — 64 warheads 1997 — 66 warheads 1998 — 68 warheads 1999 — 70 warheads 1999 2000 — 72 warheads 2001 — 74 warheads 2002 — 76 warheads 2003 — 78 warheads 2004 — 80 warheads 2005 — 80 warheads 2006 — 80 warheads 2007 — 80 warheads 2007 2008 — 80 warheads 2009 — 80 warheads 2010 — 80 warheads 2011 — 80 warheads 2012 — 80 warheads 2013 — 80 warheads 2014 — 80 warheads 2015 — 80 warheads 2015 2016 — 80 warheads 2017 — 80 warheads 2018 — 80 warheads 2019 — 80 warheads 2020 — 90 warheads 90 2021 — 90 warheads 2022 — 90 warheads 2023 — 90 warheads 2023 2024 — 90 warheads 2025 — 90 warheads 2026 — 90 warheads 90
Peak: 90 warheads in 2020. Federation of American Scientists estimates, processed by Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).
Among the nineTotal inventory
Treaty status
Non-Proliferation TreatyNever joined
Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)Signed, not ratified
Prohibition Treaty (TPNW)Not party
All treaties
Related
Military forces of Israel Air force inventory Navy inventory Nuclear arsenals ranking World nuclear forces Blast simulator
Estimates: Federation of American Scientists, SIPRI Yearbook and other open sources. Last updated on 7 October 2026. Suggest a change

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nuclear weapons does Israel have?

Israel is estimated to hold 90 nuclear warheads in its total inventory, with none of them believed permanently deployed. The figure is an estimate from the Federation of American Scientists — no current official count exists.

Has Israel ever tested a nuclear weapon?

No acknowledged test has ever taken place. Israel neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons, and analysts still debate whether the 1979 "Vela incident" flash over the southern Indian Ocean was an Israeli test.

What delivery systems does Israel use?

The arsenal is delivered by air, sea and land forces, including Jericho, Dolphin, F-15I Ra'am, F-16I Sufa. Each system is documented in the equipment database linked on this page.

Is the arsenal of Israel growing?

See the stockpile history chart on this page: it tracks the estimated warhead count year by year since the first weapons were fielded, based on the FAS series published through Our World in Data.

Latest Data Updates
  1. OCT 72026 Updated Nuclear overview updated through October 2026
  2. AUG 112026 Updated Historical warhead stockpile series updated (60 yearly values)
  3. MAR 172026 Updated Delivery systems and nuclear overview updated
  4. JAN 202026 Updated Nuclear overview updated