The new Israeli Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, has cautioned the government about a substantial deficit in the number of combat soldiers within the military.
This shortage, according to military officials cited by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, could restrict the army’s capacity to fulfill the political leadership’s ambitions in the Gaza Strip, where fighting with the Palestinian Resistance has persisted for 18 months.
Officials reported that Zamir conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet that military strategies alone may not achieve all objectives in Gaza, particularly without a complementary diplomatic track.
A senior, unnamed military official quoted by the newspaper stated that Zamir is “not sugarcoating the facts” and is urging the leadership to “abandon some of its illusions.”
Yedioth Ahronoth also detailed that army data indicates current reserve soldier participation rates in combat units range between 60% and 70%, a figure fully disclosed to Netanyahu and senior ministers. A military official expressed concern that these rates would not improve in the event of a broader offensive in Gaza. ….more
