Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has warned the security cabinet this week that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could “collapse in on itself” if urgent measures are not taken to address mounting operational demands and a growing shortage of soldiers.
“I am raising 10 red flags in front of you,” Zamir said during the meeting, according to an Israeli channel. “Right now, the IDF needs a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service. Before long, the IDF will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last.”
Zamir’s comments came as opposition figures criticized the government for failing to ensure sufficient resources for the army.
Israel’s former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel’s leadership was “preventing the IDF from winning” and highlighted that the military is “20,000 soldiers short,” while noting that over 100,000 ultra-Orthodox men of military age could help fill the gap.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid addressed the Channel 13 report, saying that the government had sent the army “into a multi-front war without a strategy, without sufficient resources, and with too few soldiers.”
He called for stricter drafting of ultra-Orthodox men, who have historically been exempted from military service, and urged action against far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, “who openly supports Jewish terrorists,” adding that all enforcement capabilities should be deployed to fight settler violence.
Israel’s Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth told ministers that government policies in the West Bank have placed added pressure on IDF manpower. He noted that over the past year, approvals for settlements in the Jordan Valley and across the West Bank have created new security demands. “This is your policy,” Bluth said, “but it requires security and a full protection package, because the reality on the ground has completely changed and that requires manpower.”
Footage shown to ministers during the meeting reportedly highlighted a rise in extremist settler attacks, which have increased amid Israel’s illegal war on Iran. The IDF recently diverted an infantry battalion initially meant for Lebanon to respond to violence in the West Bank, with officials indicating further troop deployment may be required.
Several ruling party lawmakers also echoed Zamir’s warnings.