JERUSALEM, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday to expand the budget for defense expenses by 3.3 billion shekels (about 964 million U.S. dollars.)
The call followed a meeting on the budget with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Finance Minister Yisrael Katz, military's Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat, and other top government officials.
A statement issued on behalf of Netanyahu said he "directed" the Finance Ministry to "locate budgetary sources for a supplement of 3.3 billion shekels to the defense budget."
The additional money is needed to finance "ongoing IDF (Israel Defense Forces) activity, the Gaza Strip barrier and additional critical areas that will not suffer delay," according to the prime minister's office.
Netanyahu said the move was necessary in the wake of "the security challenges in the many spheres around us" in reference to Israel's ongoing shadow-war against Iran on Syrian soil. Israel has admitted to carry out "hundreds of airstrikes in Syria," charging the attacks are aimed at Iranian targets.
The move came amidst an economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 outbreak, with unemployment reaching some 20 percent. Enditem
