Day 27 of Middle East conflict — US extends pause on Iran energy strikes, Trump says ‘talks are ongoing’
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned government ministers Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are under severe strain due to manpower shortages and expanded operational demands, an Israeli source told CNN.
“I am raising 10 red flags before the IDF collapses into itself,” Zamir said, according to remarks first reported by Israel’s channel 13 and confirmed to CNN on Thursday.
The Israeli military is currently operating on multiple active fronts, including Iran, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Syria and the occupied West Bank.
The broadened military activity has intensified pressure on IDF manpower. An IDF spokesperson acknowledged Thursday that the military has a shortage of about 15,000 soldiers.
The shortfall comes amid an ongoing conscription crisis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has not passed legislation regulating the conscription of ultra-Orthodox youth and has not taken steps to extend mandatory service or reform reserve duty.
Zamir made the comments during a security cabinet meeting that discussed, among other topics, the recent increase in settler violence in the West Bank.
Last week, the chief of staff said that “in recent weeks there has been a rise on nationalistic crime incidents,” and he urged state institutions to act against the phenomenon.
CNN has previously reported that the IDF diverted a combat battalion from the northern border with Lebanon to the West Bank amid the wartime surge in settler violence against Palestinians.
