Israel's military chief has warned lawmakers that the army's reserve forces could face collapse within months unless the government urgently passes legislation to expand conscription and extend military service, Israeli media reported.
In a classified meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Monday, Israeli army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, reportedly urged legislators to move quickly on laws extending mandatory military service to 36 months, increasing recruitment and revising reserve duty regulations.
"In January 2027, due to the reduction of mandatory service to 30 months, the IDF [Israeli army] will lose thousands more combat soldiers," Zamir told the committee.
"The reserve army will collapse into itself," he added, according to i24news.
Zamir warned MPs that after nearly three years of war on multiple fronts, the military is facing a severe manpower shortage that could undermine future operations.
