Defense Minister Benny Gantz appeared before the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday to argue for the government's proposed defense budget increases.
“Israel is challenged militarily on many fronts, and it is therefore very important to approve a defense budget, following years in which we were without a fixed budget, which has to a certain extent damaged our ability to act, our ability to have efficient communication, and to build up our forces in a more effective way,” Gantz said.
It was reported on Monday that the Israeli government had approved an NIS 5 billion ($1.5 billion) package designed to build up Israel's capabilities to strike at Iran's nuclear program.
The budget that will fund the Israeli project to build the attack capabilities will consist of NIS 3 billion in the current state budget and another NIS 2 billion in the next budget.
The budget also includes the financing of aircraft of various types, intelligence gathering capabilities such as satellites, and dedicated and unique armament to enable this attack.
The total defense budget the government seeks to pass totals NIS 58 billion ($17.5 billion). The previous defense budget, which was passed in 2019, was NIS 55.5 billion.