From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 19, 2026
Report: IDF chief warns Netanyahu, Katz that manpower shortage harming readiness
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir wrote a pointed letter last week to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Boaz Bismuth, warning that the shortage of soldiers could harm military readiness in the very near future, Channel 12 reports.
“The security reality in the last two years has led to unprecedented challenges and to significant effects on the various manpower arrays in the IDF,” Zamir reportedly wrote.
Zamir added that legislation on drafting more soldiers into the IDF “is not progressing in the way that is necessary, and could lead the IDF to be in a state of unreadiness. The effects will be felt in the coming year, and even more so from January 2027.”
He says that mandatory services for men must be extended back to 36 months “urgently, immediately, and retroactively,” or else IDF force design, readiness, and training will be “severely impacted.”
The Times of Israel Community.