Israel’s military skirts budget restrictions for $9 billion air force upgrade
The IDF will use a chunk of US aid and foreign borrowing to help fund its planned expansion of the air force's strike range
Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday approved a proposal to use more than $9 billion in US aid money toward the largest purchase of foreign military aircraft and munitions in years.
The landmark agreement, backed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, was the result of a seven-hour meeting of the Security Cabinet on Sunday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
About $7 billion of the total cost is to come out of the $38 billion in aid that Washington has allocated for Israel until 2028. The remaining $2.5 billion is to be filled by refinancing a loan from Citibank originally taken out by Israel’s Defense Ministry in 2014 to purchase F-35s, according to Haaretz.
The proposal was met with controversy amid questions over its legality from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
