Israel okays emergency military funding

JERUSALEM, Mar 15 (AFP): Israel has approved an $827-million emergency budget allocation for military purchases, Israeli media reported Sunday, as the war with Iran entered its third week.
The 2.6-billion-shekel package was approved over the weekend by cabinet ministers during a telephone meeting, the daily Haaretz reported.
It will be used for "security purchases" and to address "urgent needs", it said, without providing further details.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet officially commented on the measure nor specified what purchases the funds will cover.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, meanwhile, dismissed reports over the weekend saying that Israel had informed the United States that it was running short of missile interceptors.
When asked by journalists to comment, Saar, who was visiting a site recently struck by an Iranian missile, said: "The answer is no."
A finance ministry document circulated to all ministers and reported by several media outlets, including Channel 12, said that "given the intensity of the fighting" the additional budget allocation was necessary.