In a surprising announcement splashed all over Israeli media front pages, especially given the ongoing censorship regimen related to the Iran war, Israel's military chief has sounded the alarm over a severe manpower crisis in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has warned the "IDF is going to collapse in on itself" during a security cabinet meeting this week, according to Times of Israel and others. This as Israeli forces are now fighting on multiple fronts: there's the major war against Iran, as well as the 'northern front' against Hezbollah in Lebanon and amid IAF airstrikes on Beirut, and Israeli forces are still operating in Gaza.
"I am raising 10 red flags in front of you," Gen. Zamir warned the country's civilian leadership, citing intensifying operational demands across all the fronts.
"Right now, the IDF needs a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service," he laid out, per local media sources. "Before long, the IDF will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last."
So this appears a major push to immediately get more personnel into active service, over and above the standard required 32-months of mandatory service (and women serve 24 months).
This is also in line with fresh Netanyahu efforts at expanding the size of the armed forces and increasing retention:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government plans to extend mandatory military service as the army grapples with a deepening personnel shortage, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Thursday.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a security cabinet meeting in response to Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who warned that the army could “collapse” if the crisis is not addressed.
He said the government would move to revise conscription laws and extend service periods after the Jewish Passover holiday.
Already due to years of fighting in Gaza against Hamas, the IDF was said to be reaching exhaustion among its ranks, with last fall The Wall Street Journal reporting that:
"The Israeli military is beginning to draw down the number of its reservists serving in Gaza and other arenas, in a sign that it is reducing the intensity of fighting after two years of war and as the U.S.-brokered cease-fire holds."
Currently, the warring sides - especially Iran and Israel - appear to be settling in for a long war even as Washington is said to be seeking to cobble together a ceasefire deal in search of an offramp.
Israel has indicated at least four soldiers killed in Lebanon operations, and as for casualties related to the ongoing Iranian bombardment, this isn't clear - amid broader reports of deaths and injuries to the civilian population.
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