Israel approves $1.5 bln to strengthen military - report

Israel has approved a budget of $1.5 billion to strengthen its military by purchasing aircraft and dedicated armament, as well as enhancing intelligence gathering.

Some $900 million from this year's budget and $600 million from next year's budget will be spent on military procurement and intelligence gathering, the Israeli news channel reported on Monday.

The Israeli government has yet to issue an official response to the Channel 12 report.

Last month, Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli army chief, told local media that the army has greatly accelerated preparations for the possible attack on Iran's nuclear program.

Tensions between Israel and Iran over the latter's nuclear program have flared recently.

The former US administration in May 2018 unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers in July 2015, reimposing sanctions.

Talks in the past months between Iran and Western powers in Vienna on reviving the nuclear deal have not achieved a breakthrough so far.

In the talks, Iran demanded that all Western sanctions be lifted, while its interlocutors sought to reinstate controls on its nuclear program.