High-Cost Warfare: Israeli Media Reveals Price Tag of Targeting Hassan Nasrallah

Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that expanding military operations on the northern front and ongoing ground assaults in Gaza have cost Israel approximately $6 billion over the past 50 days since early September. The rising exp enses largely stem from intensive use of high-cost ammunition, pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to consider additional defense budget increases.

A senior Israeli military official disclosed that the recent targeted assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, executed through a bunker explosion in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, alone cost around $6 million in munitions. Furthermore, the killing of Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Safieddine, in a similar strike reportedly added another $5 million to the escalating operational costs.

This surge in expenditures is attributed not only to the cost of munitions but also to the mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists and multiple ground deployments in Lebanon—a scale unseen since the war’s escalation in October of last year. According to the official, daily military spending has climbed from an estimated $105 million to over $131 million since intensifying operations against Lebanon, with projections of further increases.

The financial strain extends to the southern front as well, where expenses have surged due to reservist call-ups and expanding battle zones in Gaza over the past two weeks.

Israeli Economy Feels the Cost Strain

Economists are increasingly concerned about the burden of sustaining a prolonged attacks on dual fronts, as a finance expert noted that expanded operations in Lebanon, mass reservist mobilizations, and intensified southern engagements demand substantial, unanticipated budget adjustments.

The “Nagel Committee,” recently tasked with reviewing Israel’s defense budget projections, published a preliminary report; however, it refrained from addressing specific funding increases required from 2025 to 2030. Israel’s war establishment is requesting an additional $58 billion over the coming years, though the finance ministry is pushing back, citing the need for the Israeli military to optimize efficiency while managing larger budgets, extending mandatory service, and increasing reserve forces.

Reports indicate a notable annual budgetary gap of at least $5 billion between defense demands and finance ministry provisions, creating fiscal uncertainties as the prolonged military operations continue.