An Israeli army tank transported on a truck, near the border with Lebanon, on March 31, 2026. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
The Israeli army has decided to deactivate several armored battalions due to a shortage of spare parts, while "hundreds of military vehicles damaged during fighting in Lebanon remain out of service," the public broadcaster Kan reported Thursday.
According to the outlet, which cites a military source, this situation is already affecting the army's operational capability and its ability to conduct a campaign on multiple fronts, from Lebanon to Iran, as well as Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
"The tank battalions are suffering from a lack of spare parts and hundreds of vehicles destroyed in Lebanon have not been repaired. We do not have sufficient capacity to transport the troops," the source said. Between February and June 2026, Hezbollah regularly claimed to have destroyed or severely damaged tanks during ground fighting against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
The army has also warned that production of shells for Merkava tanks may halt in the coming days due to a lack of funding, amid a military budget crisis, with other munitions production lines also expected to shut down at a later date.
According to Israeli media, the Israeli army is facing a budget shortfall estimated at about 40 billion shekels (or roughly $11 billion to $13.4 billion). This situation has repeatedly led military officials to sound the alarm.
