Tehran’s “Stalingrad” strategy seems to throw the axis of Israel and the United States and their war plans into disarray.
The strategy refers to a military ploy to wear down your opponent through attritional “never surrender” warfare.
Reports emanating from Jerusalem indicate that that the Israeli army leadership are raising doubts about the Zionist state’s ability to conduct an extended military operation.
It is reported that the IDF chief of staff told Netanyahu Israel’s army was ‘on the verge of collapse” and needed a conscription law and mandatory service.
It is reported Chief of Staff Lt. General Eyal Zamir said: “I am raising 10 red flags before the IDF collapses into itself,” according to The Jerusalem Post. Military sources expressed “tremendous concern” over the shortage, particularly amid the ongoing war, noting that even in peacetime, more troops would be required across multiple fronts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government planned to extend mandatory military service as the army grapples with a deepening personnel shortage, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Thursday.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a security cabinet meeting in response to Zamir, who warned that the army could “collapse” if the crisis is not addressed.
Netanyahu said the government would move to revise conscription laws and extend service periods after the Jewish Passover holiday.
Dismissing objections from a legal advisor to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee over easing draft requirements for ultra-Orthodox Jews, Netanyahu said: “His role is to advise, but decisions are made by us.”
Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said the government would examine both extending service and advancing a new draft law immediately after the holiday.
Israeli army spokeswoman Effie Defrin said the military is facing a shortage of around 15,000 troops, including 8,000 combat soldiers.
Israeli military officials have pointed to expanding operational demands, including continued operations in Gaza, attacks on Iran and Lebanon, and securing settlements built on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank as key drivers of the shortage.
They warned that while missions are increasing, troop numbers are declining.
The issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) has triggered a political crisis in Israel, with Netanyahu’s Haredi coalition partners boycotting parliamentary votes over the proposed law.
Under current law, Israeli men serve 32 months of mandatory military service, while women serve 24 months, with proposals under discussion to extend the term to 36 months.
The move comes amid Israel’s expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon, where the army has been pushing to widen its presence toward areas north of the Litani River as it continues to pound Lebanon with airstrikes and press its ground offensive launched after a cross-border attack by the Hezbollah group on March 2.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does not know how to win in any arena,” criticizing the government’s handling of military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, according to Israeli media.
“The current government’s political leadership is obstructing the army’s ability to achieve victory across multiple fronts,” Bennett said in an interview with Channel 12, accusing leaders of prioritizing political considerations over security needs.
He said the military is facing a shortage of about 20,000 troops, arguing that drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews could help fill the gap but that “the government is avoiding the move for political reasons”.
“The current leadership in Israel does not know how to win in any arena,” Bennett added.
In Washington, Donald Trump’s prevarication is being widely criticised as he once again extended today”s ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping for a further five days.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump is “grasping for a deal” to end the conflict as the war against Iran continued to roil the global economy.
“As the war stretches longer that Mr Trump seems to have anticipated , he appears to be casting about for a diplomatic offramp even as he threatens to escalate the conflict,” the New York Times reported.
In a social media post on Thursday Trump called Iranian officials “very different and strange”, claimed they were begging for a deal while insisting that they “better get serious soon”. The paper called it Trump’s “improvisational approach” to foreign dealings.
Meanwhile, Iran yesterday formally rejected direct negotiations with the US with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi denying reports of active talks and maintaining a a policy of resistance. Iran rejected Trump’s 15-point ceasefire plan and demanded a total halt to US, Israeli aggression. Its own conditions include sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.