Israel's Nuclear Facilities (2024)

FAQs

Where are Israel's nuclear weapons kept? ›

SIPRI information indicates that Israel has air, land and sea-based delivery systems for its nuclear arsenal. Bombs can be dropped from planes, either the F-161 or the F-15 aircraft, and are likely to be stored near air force bases such as Tel Nof airbase in central Israel, or Hatzerim airbase in the Negev desert.

Israel is estimated to have 90 nuclear warheads, with fissile material stockpiles of over 200. Israel does not admit nor deny having nuclear weapons, and states that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

Background: Israel's Nuclear Program

In the late 1950s, France built Israel's Dimona reactor, still the main source of Israel's plutonium–its main nuclear weapon material. The reactor's heavy water, essential to achieve a chain reaction, was supplied by Norway in 1959, which sent twenty tons.

The US arsenal contains about 5,400 nuclear weapons, 1,744 of which are deployed and ready to be delivered. The weapons are kept in submarines and 80-foot-deep missile silos across five of the Great Plains states. Others are stored at air force bases, where they can be loaded on long-range bombers.

Iran's nuclear program was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States. On 5 March 1957, a "proposed agreement for cooperation in research in the peaceful uses of atomic energy" was announced under the Eisenhower administration's Atoms for Peace program.

Israel is believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In Dimona, French engineers poured in to help build Israel a nuclear reactor and a far more secret reprocessing plant capable of separating plutonium from spent reactor fuel. This was the real giveaway that Israel's nuclear programme was aimed at producing weapons.

Israel currently possesses five Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines. Three of the five are old Dolphin type vessels. The older Dolphin-class are 57.3 meters long with a 6.8-meter-wide beam and can travel up to 20 knots when submerged.

Canada doesn't have nuclear weapons anymore. During the cold war the US provided weapons for the RCAF both in Europe and North America. Canada is first country to have the ability to build it's own nuclear weapons and choose not to. This was helpful in getting the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty off the ground.

Does Japan have nuclear weapons? ›

Like the similar wartime programs in Nazi Germany, it was relatively small, suffered from an array of problems brought on by lack of resources and wartime disarray, and was ultimately unable to progress beyond the laboratory stage during the war. Today, Japan has no known nuclear weapons programs.

Of the nine nations that control the roughly 14,200 nuclear weapons in the world, Russia's bombs could most easily end all life on earth. But a nuclear arsenal can't just be judged on how deadly it is.

Water – Tap water is safe to drink across Israel, although bottled water is widely available as an alternative. The tap water in Jerusalem and the south contains particulate meaning that it is possible that it might lead to mild stomach problems.

Energy system of Israel

Solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants are expected to account for over 70% of total generation, with the remainder deriving from household PV units, wind energy and biomass. The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities.

Since there is a constant shortage of natural water in Israel, desalinated water serves as an important source in the water economy. Israel has five main desalination plants, which provide 50% of all potable water in the country.

Israel is believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

There is considerable uncertainty around how many Jericho missiles Israel has in total and how many are nuclear capable. It is assumed that some of these missiles are nuclear-capable with estimates ranging from the likely 24 to the sensationalist figures of 50-100.

Although Israel has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s, it maintains a policy of nuclear opacity, never officially confirming the existence of its nuclear program. Accordingly, Israel has never signed the NPT.

In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Palestine submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 21 February 2021 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state's nuclear weapons on its territory.