AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An analyst for Maariv, examining the increasing pressures faced by the Zionist regime's army due to the continuation of war and the expansion of force deployment at the human, operational, and financial levels, criticized Netanyahu's decision to agree to future U.S. military aid that is less than the amount stipulated in the current agreement.
The Hebrew newspaper Maariv wrote in an article that the current agreement for U.S. military financial aid, valued at $33 billion over 10 years, will expire in 2028, and while the Trump administration was prepared to consider extending a similar agreement, Benjamin Netanyahu announced about a year ago that Tel Aviv would settle for a package equivalent to half the value of the current agreement.
This Zionist author, examining the level of operational pressure left by the war, wrote that the Israeli Air Force has conducted in the past three years the equivalent of the number of operations it would normally conduct over nine years in peacetime; tanks and armored vehicles have consumed thousands of engines, and the amount of munitions used was equivalent to the total munitions the occupying army had fired in the 30 years before the war. However, human casualties remain the biggest challenge facing Tel Aviv.
He further, referring to the deaths of 1,138 soldiers and the physical and psychological injuries of 11,730 other forces, predicted that the number of those suffering from psychological trauma will increase in the coming period.
Ben-David also, emphasizing that these figures are only the officially reported statistics, wrote that the consequences of the war have not been limited to the military but have also extended to their family and personal lives. According to a poll conducted by the occupying army, the lifestyle of 75 percent of families has changed among the spouses of military personnel.
While more than half of the survey participants said they still support their partner's continued military service, only 10 percent stated that the nature of this job allows their partner to invest in their personal career.
According to this article, signs of attrition have also emerged among military forces, with some experienced Zionist officers now preferring to take less stressful positions or retire rather than take on higher-ranking roles, at a time when the army still heavily relies on reserve forces.
According to Maariv, the Zionist regime's army currently employs an average of 53,000 reserve soldiers daily, stationed in buffer zones in the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and Syria, and also participating in the army's current operations in the West Bank.
The Hebrew newspaper's report also stated that this deployment imposes a high economic cost, with a one-month operation of reserve forces last year costing approximately 2.1 billion shekels, or about $703 million, an amount equivalent to the price of seven F-35 fighter jets or 70 Merkava tanks.
In the Gaza Strip, in addition to two occupying army brigades deployed along Gaza's borders and guard units and settlement watchmen, all performing active reserve duty, five brigades are currently deployed behind the yellow line, which constitutes about 60 percent of the strip's area. The same situation applies to the Lebanon borders.
Ben-David concluded the article by stating that the continued deployment of military personnel on this scale, coupled with declining human and material resources, increases pressure on the Zionist regime's army. He accordingly called for reducing the number of forces deployed on some fronts to maintain military capabilities and reduce the financial burden on the security institution.
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