Israel's Top General Believes Iran Is Increasing Its Spending On Foreign Wars

Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot speaks at the annual Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 18, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo

Reuters: Top Israeli general sees increased Iran spending on foreign wars

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to help allies fighting elsewhere in the Middle East and this outlay appears to be rising, Israel’s armed forces chief said on Tuesday.

Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot’s remarks coincided with almost a week of Iranian street protests that initially focused on economic hardships but have turned overtly political - though he did not comment directly on that unrest.

Eizenkot accused Iran, Israel’s arch-foe, of working to forge a “Shi‘ite crescent” of influence running through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain and Palestinian-ruled Gaza.

“Just glance at the scale of Iranian investment in order to achieve regional hegemony - it adds up to giving (Lebanese militia) Hezbollah between $1 billion and $700 million each year,” he said in a speech to the IDC Herzliya university.

“In recent months, investment in the Palestinian arena has also been growing out of a desire to influence it - with an increase in the (annual) funding in the Gaza Strip for (militant groups) Hamas and Islamic Jihad to $100 million.”

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Update: 'We must prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria' (Haaretz)

WNU Editor: Spending a billion dollars a year to be in a position to influence Hebzollah/Hamas/Islamic Jihad is a firm commitment on the part of Iran that they are in for the struggle. And while this amount is large, it is a still a drop in the bucket when it is compared to Iran's financial commitments to Syria (which must be enormous), Iraq, and Yemen. It should also be noted that this does not include Iran's military expenditures at home. The problem for the Iranian regime is that while they may feel that these expenditures are worth it, many in Iran .... especially those who are protesting right now .... believe it is a waste of money.