Zamir tells Knesset committee that IDF urgently needs more soldiers – report

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reiterates to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in a closed-door session that the military urgently needs more soldiers amid ongoing fighting on multiple fronts, according to Hebrew media reports.

“I am not dealing with political or legislative processes – I am dealing with multi-front warfare and defeating the enemy,” Zamir reportedly tells lawmakers after appearing before the committee following pressure from chairman Boaz Bismuth. “In order to continue doing that, the IDF urgently needs more soldiers.”

According to the reports, Zamir urges lawmakers to advance legislation enabling the enlistment of military-age ultra-Orthodox men, extend mandatory service from 30 to 36 months and increase the defense budget. A contentious bill sponsored by Bismuth would enshrine blanket exemptions for yeshiva students.