Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly warned the “IDF is going to collapse in on itself” during a security cabinet meeting this week, as the army deals with mounting operational demands and a growing manpower shortage.

“I am raising 10 red flags in front of you,” Zamir told ministers, according a Channel 13 news report on Thursday.

“Right now, the IDF needs a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service,” he was quoted as saying. “Before long, the IDF will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last.”

The reported comments sparked criticism from opposition figures, who said the government was not attending to the country’s security and called for more efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, conversely, attributed the blame to legal holdups in the passage of its legislation.

Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, who was also at the cabinet the meeting, said the government’s policies in the West Bank are placing a growing strain on the IDF’s already stretched manpower, Channel 12 reported. Bluth reportedly told ministers that over the past year, they approved the establishment of numerous settlements in the Jordan Valley and across the West Bank — developments that require increased security coverage.

“This is your policy,” Bluth reportedly said, “but it requires security and a full protection package, because the reality on the ground has completely changed — and that requires manpower.”

Ministers were also shown footage of settler violence incidents during the meeting, according to Channel 12.

Attacks by extremist settlers have spiked during the ongoing war with Iran. This week, the Israel Defense Forces diverted an infantry battalion that was intended to be deployed to Lebanon to the West Bank amid a spate of attacks by settlers against Palestinians. The military says even more troops may be needed to combat the attacks.

Opposition Leader Yair........

© The Times of Israel