Prime Minister: "No" to Iran's Nuclear Weapons, Plans to Significantly Increase Defense Budget

Xinhua News Agency, Jerusalem, July 9 (Reporter Wang Zhuolun, Feng Guorui) - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on the 9th that Israel will "not allow" Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, regardless of whether the United States and Iran reach an agreement. At the same time, Israel plans to increase its defense budget over the next 10 years, focusing on developing its air force and domestic military industry.

Netanyahu made this statement at the graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots.

He announced that an additional 350 billion new shekels (approximately 117.7 billion USD) will be added to the defense budget over the next 10 years, a significant portion of which will be used for air force development, while also developing the domestic military industry to reduce reliance on overseas procurement.

He stated that Israel's policy regarding the Iranian nuclear issue is "very clear": Iran is not allowed to possess nuclear weapons, regardless of whether there is an agreement.

Netanyahu's remarks come at a time when military conflicts between the U.S. and Iran have erupted again. Iranian media reported on the 9th that multiple locations, including the area around Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, were attacked by U.S. forces that day. On the same day, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying that they struck U.S. "command and control centers in West Asia" and an air force base located in Jordan with 10 ballistic missiles.