IDF Chief Calls Haredi Brigade Essential, Cites Rise in Enlistment

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met Hasmonean Brigade commanders and soldiers from the Yonatan Battalion during a tour of the northern border. Zamir said Haredi enlistment is rising in combat and combat-support roles, and called their integration essential to Israel's security. He said the military must expand its ground combat force after October 7 and aims to replicate the Yonatan Battalion and build the brigade into a full combat formation. Zamir pledged that the IDF would enable their service while preserving their Haredi way of life.