Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would increase the defense budget to meet growing threats but **t let the country's credit rating drop one **tch through any excessive spending. Netanyahu is under pressure from the defense Ministry to increase allocations sharply to help pay for the 50-day war with Hamas in Gaza and confront Islamist militants. Netanyahu told a counter-terrorism conference that Israel's credit rating rose during the global financial crisis, and he would **t let that be reversed.