Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman renewed his attack on the government on Sunday, warning that the army could run out of ammunition within 10 days.
اضافة اعلان
In an interview with the official Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation, Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, criticized the government for its efforts to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) from military service, saying, "They are prepared to destroy the state in order to maintain the ruling coalition and power."
On Wednesday, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) passed in its first reading a bill granting "Torah study special constitutional status," thus strengthening legal protections for students of Jewish religious seminaries.
The bill, submitted by the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, still needs to pass its second and third readings before becoming law.
For decades, members of this community have been able to avoid conscription at age 18 by obtaining repeated deferments on the grounds of studying at religious seminaries, until they reach the current exemption age of 26.
Lieberman described the law as "defamatory, legalizing the mass draft evasion of a certain group. There is no state, nothing at all; the government is only preoccupied with an election campaign."
He clarified that his party would not be part of any government that legitimizes exemptions from military service.
Lieberman, who previously held several ministerial positions, including the defense portfolio (2016-2018) and the finance portfolio (2021-2022), added: "In 10 days, the IDF will run out of ammunition," without providing further details.
Lieberman's statements come in the wake of warnings issued by Israeli military sources that a deficit estimated at approximately 40 billion shekels ($13.5 billion) in the army's budget will, in the near future, lead to a halt in the purchase of spare parts for tanks and armored personnel carriers, and the disruption of several military systems, according to a report by Channel 12 on Wednesday.
The sources also warned of the potential discharge of reserve soldiers, despite the continued need for their mobilization, in addition to freezing plans to develop the system for caring for wounded and disabled soldiers.
They stated, "Within two to three weeks, this will begin to affect operational activity."
They added that the multiplicity of fronts and the increased tasks assigned to the army will prevent it from providing the required level of security for citizens if the financial crisis continues.
These warnings come against the backdrop of wars being waged by the Israeli army in more than one region, including the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon, as well as incursions into Syria, in addition to a war against Iran in cooperation with the United States, which began on February 28, 2016, and lasted for more than 40 days. (Anadolu)
