A big warning has come out regarding the Israeli army. The country’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has warned the government that if immediate steps are not taken, the army may be in serious trouble. Raising “10 red flags” (danger signals) in the cabinet meeting, he said that due to continuous military operations, there is huge pressure on the army and the situation has become worrying.
increasing pressure on the army
According to the report, Jamir has demanded the government to bring new laws as soon as possible, which include increasing compulsory military service, reserve duty law and steps related to new recruitment. He says that if this does not happen, then soon the army will not be ready even for regular operations and the reserve system may break down.
Impact of continuous wars and operations
The Israeli army has been active on many fronts for a long time. The war in Gaza, increasing activity in the West Bank, and military action in Lebanon and Syria have put enormous pressure on troops. International organizations and human rights groups have raised serious questions about these campaigns.
Army structure and numbers
The structure of the Israeli military has been different from the beginning, consisting of a small standing army and a large number of reserve soldiers. After the Hamas attack in October 2023, about 3 lakh reserve soldiers were called.
Recently also Israel deployed an additional 1 lakh reserve soldiers, while thousands of soldiers are already active in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. It is clear from this that a large part of the army is dependent on reserve soldiers only.
Growing resentment among soldiers
Fatigue and resentment are also increasing among reserve soldiers. Many soldiers say that they are under pressure due to long hours of duty, job loss and family problems. Some soldiers have even refused to return to duty. Apart from this, there is also growing controversy over the exemption given to the ultra-Orthodox community (Haredi) in the army, which is causing dissatisfaction among other soldiers.
political pressure on the government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has talked about increasing mandatory military service. Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused the government of not being serious on this issue and putting politics above security.