Rome, 3 Nov. (LaPresse) – Israel needs a large army. This was stated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a conference with senior reserve officers, as reported by The Times of Israel. ‘The reserve force is a fundamental component, a key element,’ said Netanyahu, alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. ‘We need a large, strong and also intelligent army.’ For decades, before the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, the armed forces had closed down reserve units, moving to a ‘small and intelligent’ army based on highly trained active-duty forces.