Tel Aviv: Israel’s military leadership has issued a dire warning that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) risks internal collapse due to a deepening manpower crisis, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and multiple outlets on Thursday.
Speaking at a security Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared: “I am raising 10 red flags before the IDF collapses into itself.”
His comments, first reported by The Jerusalem Post, underscore “tremendous concern” among military sources over troop shortages amid Israel’s ongoing multi-front war. Even in peacetime, officials note, the IDF would require significantly more personnel to cover operations across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. Without urgent reinforcements, they cautioned, “there will be places with big gaps” in operational coverage.
A major factor is the stalled push for broader conscription of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “set aside” a proposed draft law to increase haredi enlistment, prioritizing wartime unity. This has intensified dependence on reservists, whose extended service is proving unsustainable.
Zamir’s remarks drew sharp criticism from the opposition, who decried the government’s inaction as a direct threat to security. Yesh Atid Party members called the blocked conscription effort “a security danger,” declaring “it is no longer possible to ignore this.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid cautioned: “In the next disaster, the government won’t be able to say ‘We didn’t know.’”
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman advocated universal conscription, while former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett questioned: “What are you waiting for, for heaven’s sake?”
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot asserted that mandatory service for all “is the need of the hour.” Other politicians warned that over-reliance on reservists has hit a breaking point.
