Israeli soldiers at the funeral of Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, March 26, 2026. ODD ANDERSEN/AFP
For months, the Israeli army has warned about a shortage of soldiers in its ranks. The debate was abruptly reignited on Wednesday evening. According to several Israeli media reports, Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir expressed his concerns in unusually blunt terms on a meeting with several members of the government: "I am raising 10 red flags," the senior officer warned ministers, referring to the strain on soldiers that could, in his view, one day lead the army "to collapse in on itself." "Reservists will not hold," he said. Many of these men and women have carried out repeated military operations for months, putting their personal and professional lives on hold.
The situation has become especially fraught due to the wars in Iran and Lebanon. In the early days, the government mobilized 110,000 reservists. That number is expected to rise quickly if the war drags on, especially with the current invasion of southern Lebanon. On Thursday, the Israeli army announced that a third division, the 162nd, would join the two other divisions, the 91st and the 36th, already engaged in clashes with Hezbollah.
