‘Israeli military will collapse on itself’: IDF chief raises ‘10 red flags’ amid manpower shortage

As the US-Israel war with Iran continues to escalate and fears of a prolonged conflict loom, Eyal Zamir, Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), warned that the Israeli military is “going to collapse on itself” due to severe manpower shortages. Zamir flagged these concerns during a security cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

“I am raising 10 red flags in front of you,” Zamir told ministers, The Times of Israel reported, citing a Channel 13 report on Thursday.

The IDF is currently short of approximately 20,000 soldiers, with some reports suggesting a minimum gap of 12,000 combat troops required to sustain ongoing operations.

Israel has been in a continuous state of conflict for over two years since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. In addition to its operations in Gaza, the IDF has also launched bombing and ground campaigns in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah.

Reservists are now entering their sixth or seventh mobilisation cycles. Zamir warned that “the reserves will not hold,” as the burden on these citizens and their families has reached an unsustainable level.

He also highlighted the absence of three critical laws: a new Haredi conscription law, an updated reserve duty law, and legislation to extend mandatory military service back to 36 months (after it was reduced to 30 months in 2024).

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Haredim are ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel who have historically been exempted from serving in the IDF due to a 1948 arrangement and religious objections.

Due to the shortage, “significant gaps” are emerging in operational coverage. Zamir noted that an infantry battalion was recently diverted from the Lebanese border to the West Bank to manage rising settler violence and regional instability.

The government’s move to legalise dozens of West Bank outposts has further increased the burden, requiring a “full protection package” that the military currently lacks the manpower to provide.

Leader of the opposition Yair Lapid launched a sharp attack on Netanyahu following these revelations, saying the Prime Minister would not be able to claim he was not responsible.

“The warning was given by the Chief of Staff, but there is no figure in the security system who does not stand behind it. The government must stop the cowardice, immediately halt all budgets to Haredi draft evaders, send the military police after deserters, and draft the Haredim without hesitation,” he wrote in a social media post.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)