Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir has warned that budget constraints are undermining the army’s operational readiness, triggering a public dispute with the Finance Ministry, which insists defence spending has nearly tripled over the past two years.
During a broad assessment of Israel’s security situation across multiple fronts, Zamir described the army’s financial position as one of its most pressing challenges.
“Unfortunately, we are currently fighting a battle over the budget,” Zamir said. “At a time when the Israeli military and its personnel are under pressure across every sector, we are forced to operate with empty coffers. This situation is harming the army’s readiness.”
Zamir said the military was strengthening its combat posture across several arenas, stretching from Iran and Lebanon to Gaza, while maintaining heightened alert over the possibility of simultaneous escalations.
He also announced additional troop deployments in the occupied West Bank ahead of the holiday period, saying all military units would remain on maximum alert.
“We are committed to defending the security of the State of Israel,” Zamir said. “That is our sole consideration, and we will not be drawn into issues that could distract us or affect our readiness.”
The Israeli Finance Ministry rejected Zamir’s assessment, saying it remained fully committed to funding the military campaign and had provided hundreds of billions of shekels for operations across all fronts.
According to the ministry, Israel’s defence budget has nearly tripled in two years, with all allocations approved under the state budget transferred in full alongside additional funding beyond the original amount authorised by the Knesset.
“There is no commitment that the Finance Ministry has failed to honour,” the ministry said, adding that spending had exceeded the original budget.
The ministry also urged defence officials to take demands for greater oversight of billions of shekels in annual spending seriously, arguing that military resources must be managed efficiently and responsibly.