Israel’s military skirts budget restrictions for $9 billion air force upgrade

The IDF will use a chunk of US aid and foreign borrowing to help fund its planned expansion of the air force's strike range
Israeli F-35 fighter jets roll on the tarmac during the "Blue Flag" multinational aerial exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on November 11, 2019. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli F-35 fighter jets roll on the tarmac during the Blue Flag multinational aerial exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on Nov. 11, 2019. - EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday approved a proposal to use more than $9 billion in US aid money toward the largest purchase of foreign military aircraft and munitions in years.

The landmark agreement, backed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, was the result of a seven-hour meeting of the Security Cabinet on Sunday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

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