Israel's Channel 12 and Maariv newspaper recently reported that the Israeli military is facing "severe shortages" in manpower and equipment, including the loss of 12 Boeing Apache attack helicopters that were planned for acquisition, as well as insufficient numbers of tanks and armored personnel carriers. The reports also indicated that the Israeli military is preparing to suspend soldier leave, and that Chief of Staff Zamir has repeatedly called for extending mandatory male military service to 36 months.

However, defense analyst Hamze Attar told Al Jazeera that it is unlikely the Israeli military is facing genuine shortages. He believes such reports are part of a long-standing Israeli strategy to "exaggerate shortages to accelerate resupply" and create a sense of urgency in Washington and Europe to expedite arms transfers. Attar noted that the Israeli military operates on a policy of extreme surplus, and its "critically low" inventory levels might be considered "fully prepared for war" in other countries.