
Israel to raise defense spending amid military offensive on Gaza
The budget agreement will allow the Defense Ministry to 'advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security,' the ministries said in a statement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the new defense budget 'fully covers the intense fighting in Gaza, alongside comprehensive security preparations for all threats — from the south, the north, and more distant arenas.'
Israel's military costs have surged since it launched its military offensive on Gaza following the deadly attacks by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since then, Israel has also fought Hezbollah in Lebanon and waged a 12-day air war with Iran, and carried out airstrikes in Syria this week after vowing to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria and demanding they withdraw.
Over the past 21 months, Israel's missile defense systems have been working almost daily to intercept missiles fired by Hezbollah, Iran and Houthis in Yemen.
Current annual defense spending is 110 billion shekels - about 9 percent of gross domestic product - out of a total 2025 budget of 756 billion shekels.
The extra budgetary funding 'will allow the Defense Ministry to immediately sign procurement deals for the weapons and ammunition required to replenish depleted stocks and support the IDF's ongoing operations,' said Amir Baram, director general of the Defence Ministry.
It would also enable the defense establishment to initiate development programs to strengthen the Israel Defense Forces' qualitative edge for future systems, he said.
Multiple scenarios
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the funds would allow Israel to prepare for multiple scenarios since 'enemies are openly declaring their intent to destroy us...For this we require complete military, technological and operational superiority.'
Separately, the Defense Ministry said it had signed a deal with state-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to accelerate serial production of Arrow interceptors.
The Arrow, developed and manufactured in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, is a missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles.
The Arrow had a high interception rate during the conflicts with Hamas and Iran. As part of the deal, IAI will supply the military with a significant additional amount of Arrow interceptors.
'The numerous interceptions it carried out saved many lives and significantly reduced economic damage,' Baram said.
On Wednesday, the ministry signed a $20 million deal with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) to supply advanced machine guns aimed at significantly enhancing the IDF ground forces' firepower capabilities.
($1 = 3.3553 shekels)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
14 minutes ago
- Arab News
US, Central Asian defense chiefs join Pakistan for rare regional security talks in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hosted a rare regional defense conference on Saturday, with officials from the United States joining their counterparts from four Central Asian republics to discuss enhanced military cooperation and counterterrorism coordination in the neighborhood. The US maintained a significant military presence in the region through Afghanistan until the withdrawal of international forces in August 2021. The conference in Islamabad marked the first multilateral defense engagement of its kind hosted by Pakistan amid a gradual thaw in relations between Islamabad and Washington, with participation from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Many of the participating Central Asian states share borders with or lie close to Afghanistan and remain exposed to the spillover effects of militant violence, narcotics trafficking and regional instability. Pakistan, which shares a porous frontier with Afghanistan, has repeatedly called for deeper security cooperation to confront shared threats in the aftermath of the Afghan conflict. 'In an era defined by transnational threats and complex hybrid challenges, the imperative for deeper military-to-military cooperation, strategic dialogue and mutual trust is paramount,' Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said during his opening address, according to a statement released by the military's media wing. 'Pakistan remains fully committed to working with partner nations to build a secure and prosperous regional environment,' he added. Earlier, the army chief welcomed the participants of the Regional Chiefs of Defense Staff Conference, held under the theme 'Strengthening Bonds, Securing Peace.' The event focused on strengthening regional security partnerships, expanding joint training efforts and improving crisis response mechanisms. Delegates also discussed the strategic landscape in South and Central Asia, with emphasis on evolving threats, sovereignty concerns and military diplomacy. The official statement said the participants reaffirmed their commitment to upholding peace, respecting national sovereignty and confronting common challenges including militant violence and cyber insecurity. Delegates praised Pakistan's role in convening the meeting and commended its leadership, hospitality and efforts to promote regional defense diplomacy.


Arab News
44 minutes ago
- Arab News
Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia
KYIV: Ukrainian drones hit a radio and electronic warfare equipment plant in Russia's Stavropol region in an overnight attack on Saturday, an official from the SBU security service told Reuters. The official said two facilities at the Signal plant in the city of Stavropol, about 540 km (335 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were damaged in the attacks. He shared several short videos showing an explosion and a large column of dark smoke rising into the sky. He said the plant was one of Russia's leading producers of electronic warfare equipment, including radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment. 'This night, long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant 'Signal',' said the SBU official. 'Each such attack stops production processes and reduces the enemy's military potential. This work will continue.' Reuters was unable to verify the details of the attack. Russia's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have launched multiple drone attacks on each other. Ukraine, which is fighting a much larger Russian army, has developed a drone industry from scratch and is now focusing on increasing its capacity to produce more long-range drones.


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is exploring a potential partnership with the Middle East Green Initiative, Colombo's envoy to Riyadh told Arab News on Saturday, as the island nation seeks to step up partnerships to combat climate change. Sri Lanka — home to 22 million people — is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is particularly at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought. On Monday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated an introductory virtual meeting between its Ministry of Environment and the MGI secretary-general 'to explore potential ways and means for cooperation and partnership in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development,' according to a statement. Led by Saudi Arabia, the MGI was established in 2021 as a regional alliance aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change and forging collaborations to meet global climate targets in the region. 'The MGI is an important regional initiative spearheaded by Saudi Arabia in combating challenges posed by climate change. We are pleased to see Saudi Arabia is giving a great leadership role in promoting climate action and environmental protection,' Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka's envoy to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. Colombo is also keen to share its experience in climate resilience efforts. 'Sri Lanka is actively contributing to the global multilateral climate initiatives. Sri Lanka's expertise and rich experience in the field will be also useful for the MGI process for fostering environmental collaboration and advancing shared climate objectives,' Ajwad said. 'For example, Sri Lanka could contribute its expertise in the field of mangrove conservation and sea grass management, et cetera.' Sri Lanka has led several climate resilience efforts throughout the years, including restoration of its mangrove forests following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The country made a commitment to become the first to replant all of its mangrove forests — a goal the government sought to achieve by providing microloans and education to communities in exchange for mangrove conservation. In 2022, it launched the Sri Lankan Climate Prosperity Plan to attract foreign investment and accelerate climate adaptation while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.