Following Operation Narnia and the attacks in Iran and Yemen, the IDF and the Defense Ministry are preparing for a massive arms race in the Middle East.
They plan to launch an extensive technological and military upgrade, with an emphasis on operational ranges of 2,000 km., advanced defense systems, new armaments, underground tools, and strategic partnerships with the US.
“The Defense Ministry and the IDF will be required to bring new and much more sophisticated tools to the battlefield,” security sources said.
Behind the scenes, an extensive process of building the IDF’s capabilities for the coming years is underway, being led by the director-general of the Defense Ministry, the deputy chief of staff, and the head of the IDF’s Planning Directorate.
This is against the backdrop of Israeli technologies being exposed in combat arenas and a competitive learning process, mainly by the Iranians, who will likely study how to counter the IDF and prepare for the future.
The IDF is upgrading its combat capabilities to a range of 2,000 km. from Israel’s borders, including expanding the aircraft and armament arrays that were missing in part of the campaign.
They are also adding vessels, developing new types of bombs, detection, alert, and control systems, advanced operational doctrines, classified technologies, refueling, increasing the inventory of interceptors, and advancing air defense systems, including ground and air laser beams and solutions for dealing with heavy drones.
Emphasis will also be placed on technological improvement of existing means.
At the same time, a significant strengthening of the ground forces is expected in the field of tanks, armored personnel carriers, intelligence collection centers within the intelligence branch, communication systems, training infrastructure, base protection, increasing stocks, and reducing gaps between the personal equipment of active-duty and reserve soldiers.
According to the IDF, defense industries across the country are working around the clock to meet the demands. Large factories are currently expanding.
Operation Narnia: How Israel killed several Iranian nuclear scientists
The defense establishment proudly noted that the operation to kill a number of nuclear scientists in the heart of Iran on the first night of fighting, which bore the code name “Narnia,” is the result of planning that lasted two decades and of unique solutions developed by the IDF.
At the same time, Defense Minister Israel Katz is expected to lead extensive investment in research and development of groundbreaking weapons systems, in collaboration with the defense industries and under strict compartmentalization conditions.
According to security sources, one of the main concerns that emerged during the war is the exposure of advanced weapons, and now, due to the enemy’s ability to learn and adapt, new classified weapons must be developed for the next round.
The IDF and Defense Ministry have already begun reinforcing air defense systems, following incidents such as the Iranian ballistic missile strike in Bat Yam, which caused damage to 102 high-rise buildings valued at roughly half a billion shekels. This, while each individual interceptor costs NIS 15 million.
SOME OF the launches were carried out deep inside Iranian territory, and some by aircraft within 2,000 km. of Israel.
Against this background, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last week visited Soroka Medical Center, which was badly damaged by an Iranian missile strike, said of the interceptors: “I would like a lot more.”
A senior defense official clarified: “Without a doubt, more interceptors and more batteries of different types would upgrade the good defense that Israel has, because in terms of numbers, the systems work fantastically.”
The military airlift from the US began on October 7, but unlike during former president Joe Biden’s term, under President Donald Trump, it has not stopped.
Some claim that in the last three months, quantities of equipment and weapons systems have been transferred from the US and other regions that have not been seen in the past year and a half, unlike during the period of the American embargo in the past.
However, it must be remembered that all American equipment costs a huge fortune.
The IDF is now preparing for combat in all arenas: Gaza, the West Bank, the Jordanian border, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, the maritime arena, and especially Iran. A major challenge: the IDF’s operational ranges – 2,000 km. from Israel – are becoming routine.
As a first step, the Defense Ministry and the IDF are requesting budgetary reimbursement from the Finance Ministry for all war expenses. In addition, the next budget is expected to be built on the basis of the lessons of the war – both positive and negative.
Among other things, this concerns the local production of various types of ammunition, which requires budgeting for production lines for the coming decade.
Another pressing issue is the navy, which in the past focused on defending Israel’s coasts, then its economic waters, and in the current war, participated in attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.
The heads of the defense establishment insist that the territory that the State of Israel can cover must be expanded using new vessels carrying extremely lethal means to very long ranges.
Overall, the leaders of the defense establishment, the IDF, and the various security bodies believe that cooperation with foreign allies, primarily the United States, which are considered “force multipliers” in battle, must be significantly strengthened.
In addition, activity in space must be expanded, given the operational ranges and intensity, and the tools must be deepened to operate underground and to continue to reduce the protection gaps among Israeli citizens, many of whom lack a protected space.
This week, for example, a budget of NIS 100m. was approved for the renovation of shelters in the central region.
A senior security official summed it up this week: “The State of Israel must ensure that the IDF leads the battlefield. It must support the defense establishment. We must surprise the enemy – next time too.”