Netanyahu Taps Deputy IDF Chief for Rare Meeting with Opposition Leader

Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Major General Tamir Yadai is expected to unusually participate in a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. The meeting, reported by N12, is intended for Netanyahu to brief Lapid on urgent defense needs and secure opposition support for a significant budgetary move. The government seeks to amend the "numerator," a tool tracking future expenditures, to allocate more resources to defense. Netanyahu wants Yadai to present professional data on the IDF's needs and the security situation to justify the budget changes, believing Lapid's backing could help advance the measure in the Knesset. However, the opposition currently opposes the necessary legislative changes. Lapid and his allies argue that budget sources for defense can be found by cutting "exorbitant" coalition funds rather than increasing the overall spending framework. Recent attempts to reach agreements with opposition leaders have reportedly been rejected. The context includes the country being in an election period, requiring Knesset approval through legislative changes.