Katz: Despite assurances by rebel leaders, Syria threat requires boost to defense budget

Defense minister says ‘the immediate risks to the country have not disappeared,’ and ‘intensity’ of danger has increased

Minister Israel Katz at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Minister Israel Katz at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the defense budget must be increased “in the face of growing threats,” citing the recent developments in Syria with the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad by Islamist forces.

“Israel must be able to defend itself, on its own, against any threat,” Katz told the Nagel Committee, which examines defense spending and the design of military forces for the future, according to a ministry statement.

“The immediate risks to the country have not disappeared and the recent developments in Syria are increasing the intensity of the threat, despite the rebel leaders seeking to present a semblance of moderation,” Katz said.

The Nagel Committee is tasked with determining the direction of Israel’s military force design for the next decade, the budgetary implications and the economic impact.

Katz said Friday that he had ordered the military to prepare to maintain its presence on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon during the coming winter months as Israel aims to prevent the border region from falling into hostile hands.

Last week, for the same reason, Israel launched a major operation to destroy the Syrian military’s strategic military capabilities, including chemical weapons sites, missiles, air defenses, air force and navy targets.

Abu Mohammed al-Julani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Sunday December 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, said on Saturday that Israel was using false pretexts to justify its attacks on Syria, but that he was not interested in engaging in new conflicts as the country focuses on rebuilding.

In a video message to the new regime taking shape in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the IDF bombed military strategic capabilities left by the Syrian military of the ousted Assad regime “so that they won’t fall into the hands of the jihadists.”

Netanyahu added that Israel was ready to establish relations with the new rulers but wouldn’t hesitate to attack if they threatened the Jewish state or allowed Iran to reestablish itself in Syria.

Top diplomats of Turkey and the United States have also met to discuss their joint effort to prevent Islamic State from resurging after Assad’s downfall, amid international efforts to gauge Syria’s new leadership, Hayat Tahrir a-Sham, an Islamist organization that originated in al-Qaeda but has since apparently broken with the jihadi terror group.

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