Israel faces critical soldier shortage as Lebanon conflict looms and Gaza war drags on

• The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) urgently needs 12,000 additional troops, including 7,000 combat soldiers, to sustain operations in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Brigadier General Shai Tayeb warns of declining troop numbers by 2027 unless drastic measures are taken, including extending mandatory service to 36 months and increasing reserve duty to 70 days annually.
• About 300,000 reservists mobilized since October 2023 report physical and emotional exhaustion, with some serving six months or more in combat zones. Draft evasion has doubled, with 1,232 evaders arrested this year—twice the IDF’s annual target—as enforcement expands nationwide.
• Ultra-Orthodox Jews (14 percent of Israel’s Jewish population) have historically avoided military service, citing religious study exemptions. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled the exemption illegal in June, ordering conscription, but political resistance remains. Despite a 60 percent increase in ultra-Orthodox enlistment last year (2,900 recruits), 48,000 still evade service.
• Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks intensify as Israel pushes deeper into Gaza, raising fears of full-scale war in Lebanon. Lebanon rejects IDF demands to disarm Hezbollah via house-to-house raids, warning it could trigger civil unrest. Israeli airstrikes have killed over 40 Lebanese civilians in recent weeks.
• Amnesty for draft-dodgers (“Starting Anew” program) encourages voluntary enlistment. Recruiting diaspora Jews (600-700 annually from U.S. and France). Expanding women’s combat roles—now 20 percent of combat troops, up from just 500 a decade ago.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are grappling with a severe manpower crisis as tensions escalate with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the war in Gaza drags on.

According to military reports, Israel urgently needs 12,000 additional troops, including 7,000 combat soldiers, to sustain operations on multiple fronts. Brigadier General Shai Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Planning and Personnel Administration Division, warned the Knesset Subcommittee for IDF Personnel that troop numbers will sharply decline by January 2027 unless drastic measures are taken.

“We need to expand the base of those serving,” Tayeb stated, outlining plans to extend mandatory military service to 36 months and increase annual reserve duty to 70 days within the next five years.

Since October 2023, Israel has mobilized 300,000 reservists, with many serving extended deployments. Reservists report physical and emotional exhaustion, with some spending six months or more in active combat zones.

“We’re drowning,” wrote reservist Ariel Seri-Levy in a viral social media post. “We have to end this war because we are out of soldiers.”

Another unnamed reservist, a father of two, lamented, “Fatigue and moral exhaustion is added to the fact that I lost my job.”

Draft evasion has also surged, with 1,232 evaders arrested this year—double the IDF’s annual target. Military Police chief Lieutenant Colonel Muni Amar confirmed enforcement efforts have expanded nationwide.

Ultra-Orthodox draft controversy reaches breaking point

The manpower crisis has reignited fierce debate over exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service—a policy in place since Israel’s founding in 1948. Ultra-Orthodox men, who make up 14 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, have historically avoided conscription by dedicating themselves to religious study.

BrightU.AI‘s Enoch explains that the Ultra-Orthodox Jews draft controversy centers around the Israeli government’s attempt to conscript Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the IDF or national service programs. This issue has been a contentious one for several decades, sparking protests, political tensions and legal battles. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, also known as Haredim, are a religious community that places a high emphasis on full-time Torah study for men. They believe that this is a sacred duty and that men should be exempt from military service to fulfill this obligation. This stance is based on their interpretation of Jewish law, which exempts certain individuals from military service due to their religious studies.

However, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that the exemption lacks legal justification, ordering the government to draft ultra-Orthodox seminary students. Political leaders, including Aryeh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, have scrambled to negotiate a compromise before budget votes.

Lebanon conflict escalates amid troop shortage

As Israel pushes deeper into Gaza, Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks have intensified, raising fears of a full-scale war in Lebanon. The IDF has demanded that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) disarm Hezbollah through house-to-house raids—a request Beirut swiftly rejected.

“They’re demanding that we do house-to-house searches, and we won’t do that,” a Lebanese official told Reuters, warning such actions could spark civil unrest.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to target southern Lebanon, killing over 40 Lebanese civilians in recent weeks. Lebanese journalist Khalil Nasrallah reported that IDF troops detonated two homes near Hula, while a drone strike killed civilian Samir Faqih in Bisariyeh.

With frontline troops stretched thin, Israel is considering unprecedented measures to bolster its ranks:

• Amnesty for draft-dodgers – The “Starting Anew” program offers pardons to ultra-Orthodox evaders who enlist voluntarily.
• Recruiting diaspora Jews – The IDF is exploring 600-700 additional recruits annually from the U.S. and France.
• Expanding women’s combat roles – Female soldiers now account for 20 percent of combat troops, up from just 500 a decade ago.

A nation divided over sacrifice

The debate over military service has deepened societal rifts. Some ultra-Orthodox leaders argue Torah study is equal to military duty, while others, like reservist David Zenou, a 52-year-old rabbi, insist “It’s an honor to serve my country.”

Meanwhile, 2,000 wives of reservists signed an open letter pleading to “lighten the load for those who serve.” Academic Tehila Elitzur, whose husband is a reservist, told Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot: “There is no contradiction between Torah study and military service—both go hand in hand.”

As casualties mount and troop shortages worsen, Israel faces a stark choice: draft the ultra-Orthodox, extend service indefinitely or risk military overextension. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government must navigate political, religious and strategic crises—or admit Israel is running out of soldiers.

Watch the video below about an Orthodox MP warning that Israel is headed to civil war between secular and Haredi Jews over IDF compulsory draft.

This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

Ynetnews.com

StraitsTimes.com

BrightU.ai

TheWeek.com

Brighteon.com