Israeli Chief of Staff raised 10 red flags regarding a army collapse from within

The IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, warned that the army will collapse unless the crisis of personnel shortages in its ranks is resolved, in light of the multiplicity of fronts in which it is fighting.

Zamir’s remarks came during a meeting of the Israeli Cabinet for Political and Security Affairs, which was held on Wednesday evening to discuss the developments of the war.

Zamir chose to warn participants about the escalation of settler attacks in the West Bank, and at the same meeting, the Israeli Cabinet approved the completion of previous decisions to establish dozens of settlement farms and additional outposts in the West Bank.

Zamir warned that this step isn’t commensurate with the IDF’s manpower needs, and that the scope of the required forces is limited, while the army needs to deploy across a number of active fronts, including Lebanon, where several divisions are currently stationed, the Gaza Strip, the Syrian border, and the West Bank.

Warnings of imminent collapse Zamir added that the government doesn’t address any of the solutions on the agenda, such as a different conscription law, an extension of service in the regular forces, and amendments to the reserve law.

“I raise 10 red flags in front of you (in reference to the seriousness of the situation in the army and the shortage of its forces); at this rate, the IDF will collapse on itself,” Zamir said. According to Zamir, “The IDF won’t be ready for its routine tasks in a short time… The reservists won’t hold out”.

For his part, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid commented on the chief of staff’s remarks, saying that the chief of staff warns of the collapse of the army, but the government ignores it.

“In the next disaster, the government won’t be able to invoke ignorance; it bears responsibility,” Lapid added.

Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement that the chief of staff’s statements constitutes a serious condemnation of the government in time of war.

It’s the same government that talks about changing the Middle East, and of other long weeks of war, and that promotes illusions of great victories, while on the other hand it continues to encourage mass evasion.

Gantz continued, “You won’t be able to cover this up, and you’ll not be able to invoke that we didn’t know, when the next catastrophe will occur”.