Israel deactivates tank battalions amid spare-parts shortage and lack of funds

BEIRUT — The Israeli army has decided to deactivate several tank battalions due to a shortage of spare parts, while hundreds of military vehicles damaged during fighting in Lebanon remain out of service, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported Thursday.

The Israeli defense establishment also warned that production of shells for Merkava tanks could be halted in the coming days due to a lack of funding, with other ammunition production lines expected to shut down later, according to Kan.

The shortages are already affecting the army’s operational readiness and its ability to conduct a multi-front campaign, Kan reported, citing a military source.

The Israeli army face an estimated budget gap of roughly 40 billion shekels (approximately $11 billion to $13.4 billion), according to Israeli media.

“Tank battalions are suffering from shortages of spare parts, and hundreds of vehicles destroyed in Lebanon have not been repaired. We do not have sufficient capacity to transport troops,” the source said.

Between February and June 2026, Hezbollah regularly claimed to have destroyed or severely damaged tanks during ground fighting with occupying Israeli forces.

The crisis is also affecting the army’s Intelligence Directorate, with cloud storage facilities reportedly reaching capacity and some units deleting intelligence material to make room for new files, according to Kan.