Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman demanded on Monday the addition of NIS 4.8 billion to his ministry's multi-year budget plan, citing changes in the region. Speaking to reporters, Liberman noted, "Two years ago, when the plan began, there was no massive Russian presence on Syrian soil, more accurate and high-quality weapons entered the region, which also had a higher cost and there wasn't the accelerated development of Iranian ballistic missiles," all of which demand a response.
The defense minister said that the very fact that one third of northern residents do not have effective protection is disturbing. He concluded, "In order to bring about an optimal situation, we need a [defense] budget that will be 7 percent of the [total state] budget, not four percent, the way it is now, which actually means an increase of NIS 13 billion every year that will enter the new budget after 2019."