AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Yitzhak Brik, a reserve general of the Zionist regime's army, in an op-ed in the newspaper Maariv, reported the intensifying manpower crisis in the regime's army and warned about the consequences of the continued erosion of military forces.
Brik, referring to the process of reducing the size of the Zionist regime's ground forces over the past two decades, said these forces have decreased by about two-thirds, and as a result, the army now faces a severe shortage of reserve forces; to the extent that there are not enough forces to replace units that have been engaged in war and operations for nearly three years.
Erosion of Forces on Various Fronts
This Zionist reserve general emphasized that army forces deployed on various fronts are constantly under pressure and do not have enough opportunity to train and restore their combat capability; an issue that, according to him, has reduced the army's ability to continue the war and withstand accumulated pressures.
Brik claimed that the continuation of this process could push the Zionist regime's army toward the gradual withdrawal of its forces from confrontation lines in southern Lebanon; a process he described as the possible return of northern settlers to the insecure conditions of the pre-war period.
He also criticized the performance of the Zionist regime's political and military institutions and said these institutions have failed to learn the necessary lessons from recent years' developments and prevent the repetition of conditions that led to the current crisis.
Ignored Warnings
Brik said he had warned years ago about the necessity of increasing the size of the ground forces and strengthening their capabilities and had emphasized the army's readiness for future wars.
According to him, the Zionist regime's army needs advanced equipment and systems to confront future wars, including powerful laser systems, more than one million drones, missile weapons, and air defense systems.
This reserve general claimed that his reports and warnings about the process of weakening the army's capability were not heeded, and ignoring these warnings continued before the outbreak of the crisis around Gaza as well. He added that some scenarios that occurred during the war had been predicted in his earlier reports.
A Four-Point Proposal to Exit the Crisis
Brik proposed four immediate measures to confront the manpower crisis, the first of which is returning the mandatory military service period to a full three years to increase the number of active army forces.
He also called for the return of more than 100,000 reserve forces who have been discharged from service in recent years following the reduction of military units. In his view, keeping these forces out of the service cycle, in circumstances where current reserve forces face severe erosion, intensifies the army's manpower crisis.
This reserve general also called for the enforcement of the law against about 50,000 individuals who evade military service and for reforming the structure of the army's permanent service; a structure that, according to him, has caused the departure of thousands of capable forces from the army and has also reduced young people's willingness to join it.
"The Crisis Is Structural"Brik emphasized that the current problem of the Zionist regime's army is no longer limited to a single military decision or action but has become a "structural crisis" that requires the rebuilding of the ground forces, the model of manpower supply, and the army's command structure to resolve.
In another part of his remarks, he criticized the candidates for prime minister of the Zionist regime and said they, instead of presenting operational plans to confront the current situation, have mostly turned to populist rhetoric aimed at winning election votes.
These remarks come as the Zionist regime's army, after years of military operations on several fronts, faces challenges including the erosion of reserve forces, manpower shortages, and increasing pressure on active units; challenges that, according to some officials and military experts of this regime, could affect its ability to continue operations on multiple fronts.
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