“Operation Rising Lion” may have ended in a decisive Israeli victory, but there will be more rounds with Tehran, the director-general of Israel’s Defense Ministry warned on Monday.
Speaking at a Finance Ministry conference, Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram said that Iran was badly humiliated by Israel’s 12-day operation in June, which devastated the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
As a result, Iran is pouring vast resources into rebuilding its military. “They are accelerating force buildup,” Baram said, according to Ynet.
Baram highlighted the connection between security and economic strength at the conference hosted by the accountant general, who is responsible for managing the government’s funds and assets.
Global defense spending in 2024 reached $2.7 trillion—a 20% jump from 2023, “the biggest increase since 1988,” he said.
Israel’s war costs already exceed 205 billion shekels ($61 billion), yet economic indicators “convey strength,” Baram noted.
Baram announced the creation of a “Supreme Armaments Council” that will bring together the Defense Ministry, Finance Ministry, National Security Council, defense industries and other bodies to accelerate preparations against Iran and Yemen, Ynet reported.
“We have to invest right now in thinking about the next surprises, about the next beeper operations,” he said, referencing Israel’s Sept. 2024 intelligence operation involving exploding beepers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terror group.
Baram also underscored the high costs of defense. “An attack in Yemen costs about 50 million shekels [$15 million], an Arrow 3 interception 15-30 million [$4-9 million], but one miss can cause damage of 300 million shekels [$90 million]—as happened with the ballistic missile strike in Bat Yam,” he said.
The Defense Ministry prepares along three timeframes, he said. First, equipping for immediate needs, second, improving readiness for the next decade and three, developing transformative, game-changing weapons for the future.
Baram noted the worrying global delegitimization trend the Jewish state faces amid the war in Gaza, and how this obligates Israel to expand its domestic production base. Israel recently signed $2.5 billion in defense export deals, he noted.
A new joint fund with the accountant general will further boost exports and turn the defense sector into an economic growth engine, he added.
