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Israeli Cabinet Approves $2.8 Billion Budget for Potential Strike against Iran

The Israeli army conducted exercises in the Golan Heights on Feb. 15 (AFP)
The Israeli army conducted exercises in the Golan Heights on Feb. 15 (AFP)
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Israeli Cabinet Approves $2.8 Billion Budget for Potential Strike against Iran

The Israeli army conducted exercises in the Golan Heights on Feb. 15 (AFP)
The Israeli army conducted exercises in the Golan Heights on Feb. 15 (AFP)

The Israeli government approved a multiyear draft general budget, to include an increase by around USD2.8 billion for a potential strike against Iran, following 36 hours of deliberations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of approving the budget, saying that an agreement was reached on a multi-year plan for the security services and the army.

He pointed to the importance of the agreement, which he said was made unanimously with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, “with a little help on my part.”

Netanyahu explained that the budget would bring about a change in the course of military service, and in rewarding soldiers for service. He said that it would provide the appropriate financial reward for soldiers and officers, while shortening the period of service in order to reduce the period of engagement in the labor market, which he said constituted a tremendous change for Israel’s security and for the Israeli economy.

The budget approval comes two days after Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, announced in Tel Aviv that Israel had requested the purchase of 50 F-15EX aircraft, and the modernization of all F-15 fighters.

Israel is planning to ask the US to sell its new 5,000 pound GBU-72 bomb to the Israeli army. The bomb weighs 5,000 pounds and can be used to strike underground Iranian nuclear sites.

The Israeli army had obtained USD1.5 billion in the 2021 budget to purchase weapons for the possible war with Iran. This year, it requested an additional USD3 billion, of which it obtained USD2.8 billion.

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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.