IDF Chief Warns Reserves Could Collapse Without Longer Conscription

Overview

• Eyal Zamir told a closed Knesset defense committee that reserve forces risk collapse within months unless Israel lengthens mandatory service and boosts recruitment.
• Zamir said the military needs about 15,000 more soldiers, including 7,000 to 8,000 combat troops, to sustain ongoing operations on several fronts.
• The Knesset panel extended emergency call-ups for roughly 400,000 reservists through the end of the month as a stopgap move.
• Short-term fixes have fallen short, with about 8,000 recruits added through a shortened career track while around 100,000 reservists remain on active duty and some may face 80 to 100 service days a year without new laws.
• Political deadlock over ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions has stalled a new conscription law, drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders, as the strain has grown so severe that some analysts have even floated a foreign volunteer corps.