“Tsahal [the Israeli army] is heading towards an internal collapse.”
Eyal Zamir
Israeli Chief of Staff
These alarming statements attributed to Israeli Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, during a meeting on Thursday, March 26, of the Israeli security cabinet, have been reported by several Israeli media outlets, while the Israeli army, Tsahal, is mobilized on multiple fronts and has been involved in conflicts for thirty months.
“I am sounding the alarm bell ten times,” reportedly said Eyal Zamir during the meeting, with some of his remarks leaked to the Israeli press. “The reservists will not hold,” and the army “now needs a conscription law,” he allegedly added, according to The Jerusalem Post, referring to a law to enlist ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are largely exempt from military service.
Since the Gaza war (2023-2025) – the longest conflict in the history of the Hebrew state – the Israeli army has expanded its operations and scope of action in the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza) as well as in other countries in the Middle East, notably Lebanon and Syria.
Multiple fronts
The current war adds to a list of uninterrupted conflicts since 2023 that have severely tested the military and human capabilities of Tsahal, according to the Israeli press. Just on the Lebanese front, Israel had to call up 100,000 reservists in early March, following Hezbollah’s entry into the war, and is considering mobilizing up to 450,000 reservists for an expansion of its ground operations in the southern part of the country.
“According to IDF sources, there is great concern due to the severe shortage of soldiers,” highlights The Jerusalem Post. “If the government does not send more soldiers, there will be significant gaps on certain fronts,” these sources added.
Before Operation Roaring Lion – the name given to the Israeli offensive against Iran – a controversial bill to impose conscription on Orthodox Jews was being debated for possible approval. However, since then, it has been “put on hold” by the government. The historical exemption of this religious group from society is considered unfair by some, especially as Israel is engaged in various conflicts across the Middle East.
Eyal Zamir’s warning has sparked strong reactions in Israel. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, accused the government of “sending the army to fight […] on multiple fronts without strategy, without the necessary means, and with far too few soldiers,” warning of a “security disaster.”
