IDF Chief’s Warning On Israeli Military Collapse Will Boost Iran In Accelerating The Attacks.

Tehran; March 2026: : Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf on 28th March have said that the country’s response to Israel’s military action would “accelerate” the collapse of its defence forces, referring to remarks by the Israeli military chief warning of internal strain within the army.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf accused Israel of attempting to deflect attention from internal military weaknesses and restore confidence within its government and armed forces by escalating tensions with Tehran. He argued that Israeli strikes on Iran’s industrial infrastructure are meant to distract from the army’s troubles and bolster morale in Tel Aviv, but he insisted that such provocations would instead hasten the “ongoing collapse”.

Ghalibaf further portrayed Tehran’s response not as reactive but as decisive and strategically calibrated to exploit what he described as weaknesses in Israeli defence postures. “The Israeli military chief warned, ‘I’m raising 10 red flags…the IDF will collapse into itself’. By escalating tensions and attacking Iran’s industrial infrastructure, the criminal Zionist regime is attempting to ignore these warnings and restore the confidence of its corrupt cabinet and army. Instead, Iran’s fierce response will accelerate this ongoing collapse”, the speaker stated in his post.

Ghalibaf’s remarks comes a day after the Chief of Staff of the IDF, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, on Thursday warned that the Israeli military could “collapse in on itself” due to increasing operational pressures and a worsening manpower shortage amid conflict in West Asia, Maverick News 30 reporting.

General Zamir had made the remarks during a security cabinet meeting, where he flagged serious concerns over the army’s preparedness. “I am raising 10 red flags before you”, he reportedly told

ministers. He stressed the urgent need for legislative measures, including a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and an extension of mandatory military service. “The IDF now needs a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service”, Zamir had said warning that without such steps, the military may soon struggle to carry out routine operations and sustain its reserve system. This is not the first time Zamir has sounded the alarm over the issue. In January, he had written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, cautioning that the shortage of personnel could soon impact the army’s operational readiness.

The manpower crunch has intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war following the October 07th attacks in 2023. The military has repeatedly informed lawmakers that it is short of around 12,000 troops amid ongoing operational demands, The issue has also been complicated by political debates over military service exemptions. Ultra-Orthodox parties have pushed for legislation to maintain exemptions for their communities, even after a 2024 ruling by Israel’s High Court found no legal basis for the longstanding exemption granted to Haredi yeshiva students as per official sources. Reports indicate that around 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently eligible for service but have not enlisted.

Meanwhile today early morning (29th March 2026, IST) – Iran has accused the United States and Israel of “deliberately” targeting its academic institutions and scientific infrastructure amid the ongoing conflict in the region, alleging that the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran has “revealed its true objective” by systematically striking universities, research centres, historical monuments and prominent scientists.

In a post on X, the official spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, described the attacks as an effort to “cripple our country’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage”. Baqaei specifically cited Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran — institutions at the heart of Iran’s higher education and research ecosystem — as among those hit during the past 30 days of conflict. He has also dismissed claims by the US and Israel on countering Iran’s nuclear programme and addressing an “imminent threat” as “vicious pretexts” intended to conceal what Tehran perceives as a broader strategy to undermine its intellectual and cultural institutions.

“Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran are just two

among many universities and research centres deliberately attacked by the aggressors during the past 30 days of their illegal war on the Iranian nation. In fact, the American-Israeli aggression against Iran

continues to reveal its true objective: to cripple our country’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage by systematically targeting universities, research centres, historical monuments, and prominent scientists. Countering Iran’s “nuclear program” and “imminent threat” were nothing but vicious pretexts, which are mere fabrications designed to conceal their real intention”, the post read.

The Iranian foreign ministry’s remarks underscore growing Tehran rhetoric that the conflict has expanded beyond conventional military targets to include centres of learning and research. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis, earlier today, announced a “second military operation” targeting Israel in a significant escalation of the ongoing West Asia conflict, using a barrage of cruise missiles and drones against what they described as “vital and military sites” in southern occupied Palestine.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, said that the operation was launched as part of the “Holy Jihad Battle” and coincided with military actions by allied groups, including forces in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He added that the second operation “successfully achieved its objectives. Forces carried out the second military operation in the Holy Jihad Battle with a barrage of cruise missiles and drones targeting several vital and military sites belonging to the Zionist enemy in southern occupied Palestine. This operation coincided with the military operations being carried out by our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and, by the grace of Allah, it successfully achieved its objectives”, the statement read.

This comes moments after the Iranian-backed group in Yemen officially joined the conflict in the region, earlier yesterday (28th March) as reported by Maverick News 30.

Suvro Sanyal; Team Maverick.