Jerusalem, 27 March (H.S.):
Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid warned Thursday that the nation teeters on the brink of a security disaster due to a critical shortage of combat soldiers, echoing urgent pleas from top military brass.
Lapid's stark televised statement came a day after IDF Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir briefed the security cabinet, reportedly stating the army is on the verge of collapse. He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of plunging the military into a multi-front conflict – spanning Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria – without adequate manpower, strategy or resources.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin confirmed the strain Thursday, noting extra forces are urgently needed for forward defenses in Lebanon alongside ongoing operations elsewhere. Reservists, many on their sixth or seventh rotations, are exhausted and struggling to sustain the tempo, Lapid added, spotlighting a manpower crunch that has long simmered but now boils over.
Haredi Exemption Sparks Call to Action
At the heart of the crisis lies Israel's exemption policy for ultra-Orthodox Haredi men, who since 1948 have dodged mandatory service to focus on religious study when the community was tiny. Lapid demanded an immediate end to this cowardly arrangement: halt funding for draft dodgers, unleash military police on deserters and conscript Haredim without delay.
The opposition firebrand framed it bluntly. The government is leaving the army wounded out on the battlefield, he said, painting a picture of an overstretched force ill-equipped for escalating threats amid the Iran war's ripple effects.
This unfolds against a tense backdrop: President Donald Trump extended a pause on Iran power plant strikes to April 6 Friday, claiming talks are going well at Tehran's request, even as Iran reportedly rakes in $139 million daily from oil sales via a choked Strait of Hormuz. Israeli leaders worry such regional fires could ignite further demands on their depleted ranks.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
