Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir calls for expanded military ranks and increased ultra-Orthodox soldier recruitment.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF Chief of Staff, stated that the Israeli military must expand its ranks and draft more ultra-Orthodox soldiers. This call comes as recent data shows an increase in Haredi enlistment over the past year. The military is seeking to bolster its numbers while evaluating whether the new Haredi brigade is meeting expectations. In other regional news, a drone strike hit a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta. While no party has officially claimed responsibility, Iranian sources heavily imply Tehran was behind the attack, marking the first time Egypt has been targeted in the current war. Additionally, the Israel Defense Forces struck a mosque in Gaza City, claiming it was a weapons depot for Hamas. Meanwhile, a Hezbollah drone violated an ongoing truce by hitting an IDF armored bulldozer in the South Lebanon buffer zone.