Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned down IDF Chief of Staff Kohavi's request for funds to prepare a military attack against Iran in 2019, Channel 13 reported on Monday evening.
Netanyahu, currently serving as the opposition head, reportedly refused Kohavi's request due to the lack of a state budget, as his government failed to pass one.
According to the report, Kohavi asked Netanyahu to fund military action against Iran several times throughout Israel's political crisis from 2019 to 2021 and was continuously denied funds by the former prime minister.
The two defense ministers during this period, Naftali Bennett and Benny Gantz, both attempted to convince Netanyahu alongside Kohavi but were unsuccessful, according to the report.
Netanyahu quickly responded to the report, stating that "huge sums were invested in advancing capabilities to thwart the Iranian nuclear program up to and including 2019."