“Israeli” Army Facing Severe Manpower Crisis 

By Staff, Agencies 

“Israeli” “Yedioth Ahronoth” daily cautioned that deepening manpower crisis within “Israeli” occupation forces is surfacing.

The daily further warned of a possible “collapse” in military systems as the war across multiple fronts continues to drain personnel and operational capacity.

According to the newspaper, senior security officials raised what was described as a “blaring red flag” over the scale of exhaustion inside the military establishment, with one official saying the level of attrition is “many times greater than anything previously known.”

The report stated that data from the military’s manpower division points to the possibility of systemic collapse, as regular service training programs have reportedly been suspended while reserve soldiers are being forced to serve significantly longer periods to compensate for field shortages.

“Yedioth Ahronoth” said the crisis has intensified within the Knesset due to political disputes linking the extension of mandatory military service to legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews from conscription.

In parallel, the newspaper noted that political discussions have stalled at a time when the “Israeli” army is preparing to discharge recruits enlisted in July 2024 next January after completing their current 30-month service period.

Security officials warned of what the report described as a potential “surprise blow like a heart attack,” the consequences of which would primarily be borne by regular and reserve soldiers.

Meanwhile, the report mentioned that the “Israeli” military is facing one of its most critical moments in recent years regarding manpower availability.

It added that the absence of an organized conscription law, alongside unresolved legislation aimed at restoring mandatory service to 36 months and introducing a new reserve duty framework, has placed the military under growing strain while it remains engaged in what the newspaper described as a war on seven fronts.

According to official figures presented by military representatives before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, the military currently suffers from a shortage of nearly 12,000 soldiers, including between 6,000 and 7,000 combat troops.

The newspaper warned that if legislation is not amended and mandatory service is not extended back to 36 months, the army could face an additional shortage of roughly 2,500 combat soldiers, equivalent to a full company missing from every battalion.

The report added the “Israeli” security establishment views the current period as the “last opportunity window” to increase recruitment numbers through legislation, leading to intensified pressure on the government to act before the manpower crisis worsens further.

These warnings come as the “Israeli” occupation military continues to face sustained attrition across several fronts, particularly on the northern front of occupied Palestine, where operations carried out by Hezbollah have inflicted ongoing military pressure and staggering losses.