Overview
- In a closed security cabinet briefing this week, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned the army is "going to collapse in on itself" and said he was "raising 10 red flags," according to leaks to Israeli media.
- He urged swift passage of three measures to fix manpower: a new conscription bill, a reserve duty framework, and an extension of mandatory service.
- The military said it needs more combat troops, with its spokesman highlighting the Lebanese front where forces are building a forward defensive zone as repeated reserve call-ups strain the ranks.
- Netanyahu told ministers the army would get support and, per public broadcaster reports, pledged to push draft legislation after Passover, though no law has been enacted yet.
- Opposition leaders demanded universal enlistment for ultra‑Orthodox men as estimates of the shortfall hover around 12,000 troops, with some claiming higher, in a reserve‑heavy system now stretched by operations in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.