IDF Weighs Mission Cuts Amid NIS 25B Budget Gap

The IDF is preparing mission cuts after the Finance and Defense ministries agreed on NIS 15 billion rather than the NIS 40 billion defense officials sought, leaving a NIS 25 billion gap to revisit in October. Possible cuts include standby squads in Judea and Samaria, the Lebanon border and some Syria-border security tasks. The warning is a readiness issue: Israel must fund the forces, munitions and border defenses needed against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas while keeping fiscal discipline.