Defense Budget Deal Sends Immediate Billions to IDF

At 18:20 IDT, after a 17:45 report, the Finance and Defense ministries reached understandings to transfer immediate billions to the IDF for the 2026 defense-budget gap. The deal brings the practical defense budget to NIS 158 billion, matching a July 1 assessment that the budget was moving toward that record level; the first tranche is NIS 15 billion, with about NIS 25 billion more to be reviewed later. The gap grew from the long Iran war, the southern Lebanon security zone and far heavier reserve mobilization than planned. Israel needs fiscal discipline, but readiness cannot wait while every front remains active.