Report: Government repeatedly chose not to increase interceptor funding, even after Iranian attacks in 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government repeatedly opted not to increase funding for interceptor missiles in recent years, despite rising tensions with Iran and multiple large-scale ballistic missile attacks, according to an investigation by Channel 12.

The report says Iran has produced ballistic missiles at a far higher rate than Israel’s interceptor output, estimating that for every interceptor manufactured in Israel, Tehran produced 10 of its own.

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in two major rounds of conflict in 2024 – in April and again in October – while Israel’s stockpile of long-range interceptors, particularly the Arrow 3, remained limited.

Despite the scale of the attacks, the investigation finds no emergency government or cabinet discussions were held to significantly ramp up interceptor production, with manufacturing rates largely unchanged.

A senior defense official cited in the report describes the situation as “crazy,” saying, “The Iranians fire at us twice — hundreds of missiles — and it doesn’t move anything.”

A special defense budget committee led by Prof. Jacob Nagel recommended an increase in Arrow 3 production at the end of 2024, but the proposal was not acted upon.

“After the Nagel Committee, they already knew they were heading toward a possible attack on Iran, and still, nothing moved,” the defense official says, seemingly in reference to preparations ahead of the June 2025 conflict. “It’s clear to everyone there aren’t enough Arrow 3s.”

An Israeli official cited in the report claims that members of Netanyahu’s government, namely Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, advocated for taking offensive measures against Iran instead of investing in defense in the form of interceptor missiles.

“Smotrich says in the meetings: ‘Anyways, we won’t be able to deal with [Iran’s] surface-to-surface missiles. They have many more missiles than we have interceptors, and the only way is to attack them, not invest in defense,” the official says.

From last year’s 12-day war through the latest round of fighting, which began on February 28, no additional steps were taken to expand Israel’s interceptor missile stockpile, Channel 12 reports – despite repeated efforts by defense officials, including Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram, to push for an increase.

The findings add to longstanding concerns that Israel’s interceptor stockpile has been under strain, particularly during repeated rounds of fighting with Iran.