Israel faces financial trouble in supplying military weapons

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Sunday that after the attacks on Iran and ongoing clashes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army is facing one of its biggest financial crises in recent years.

According to the report, army commanders have requested an emergency budget of 60 billion shekels (approximately $16.2 billion) from the Ministry of Finance to address a severe shortage of military equipment. This request comes amid a sharp decline in weapons stockpiles and extensive wear and tear on military vehicles.

However, Israel’s Ministry of Finance has rejected the request and has suspended emergency purchases and the replenishment of critical ammunition stockpiles — including for the “Arrow” missile defense system — which, according to informed sources, is nearly depleted.

Moreover, hundreds of armored vehicles used in ground operations in Gaza have now become practically unusable.

In addition, Yedioth reported that Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has not only refused to allocate new funds but has also frozen previously approved allocations from a joint committee between the defense and finance ministries for future years.

These decisions are reportedly in response to the soaring costs of mobilizing reserve forces, which have now reached over 1.2 billion shekels (approximately $325 million) per month — despite none of the recent military operations being accounted for in the army’s initial budget planning.