Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that the government plans to move ahead with legislation regulating military conscription and extending mandatory service immediately after Yom Tov, a move that has heightened tensions and drawn strong reactions from opposition leaders.

During the cabinet discussion, Netanyahu made clear that the government intends to proceed with the legislation regardless of legal objections. “Her role is to advise — we decide to move it forward,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs backed that position, emphasizing that both the conscription law and the extension of regular service would be advanced together. “There is no such thing. We are bringing together a draft law and an extension of service. That’s what we decided, and she does not determine it.”

Amid the debate, a senior cabinet official argued that the situation has been misrepresented publicly, saying the IDF Chief of Staff did not warn of a collapse of the military, but rather of the consequences of delaying the legislation. According to the official, the chief of staff stressed that without completing a draft law, extending regular service to 36 months, and updating the reserve duty law, the IDF would not be able to meet all of its operational demands.

The same official added that cabinet members broadly support advancing the legislation and blamed the delay on resistance from legal advisors. He also criticized opposition leaders, saying, “It’s interesting that suddenly Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot support the government’s draft law,” which, he said, the chief of staff had urged be passed urgently.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government’s approach, warning against suppressing warnings during wartime. “Anyone who says we must not talk about dangers during a war because it weakens us has forgotten what we learned on October 7.”

Lapid said the responsibility of the security establishment is to issue warnings in advance, not after the fact, and stressed that the government cannot claim it was unaware. “This is the chief of staff they appointed — you cannot paint him as political and shift the blame onto him.”