Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; Hebrew: צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל ⓘ, lit. 'The Army of Defense for Israel'), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal (צה״ל), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security apparatus. The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister.
| Israel Defense Forces | |
|---|---|
| צבא ההגנה לישראל | |
Standard | |
| Founded | 26 May 1948 |
| Service branches | |
| Website | idf.il |
| Leadership | |
| Prime Minister | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Defense Minister | Yoav Galant |
| Chief of the General Staff | Herzi Halevi |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 17 |
| Conscription | 24–34 months |
| Available for military service | 1,554,186 males, age 17–49 (2016), 1,514,063 females, age 17–49 (2016) |
| Fit for military service | 1,499,998 males, age 17–49 (2016), 1,392,319 females, age 17–49 (2016) |
| Reaching military age annually | 60,000 males (2016), 60,000 females (2016) |
| Active personnel | 169,500 |
| Reserve personnel | 465,000 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$24.3 billion (2021) (ranked 15th) |
| Percent of GDP | 5.2% (2021) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | |
| Foreign suppliers | |
| Related articles | |
| History | 1948 Arab–Israeli War (1948–1949) Reprisal operations (1951–1956) Sinai War (1956) Six-Day War (1967) War of Attrition (1967–1970) Yom Kippur War (1973) Operation Litani (1978) First Lebanon War (1982–1985) South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) First Intifada (1987–1993) Second Intifada (2000–2005) Second Lebanon War (2006) Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009) Pillar of Defense (2012) Protective Edge (2014) 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis (2021) 2023 Israel–Hamas war (2023) Others |
| Ranks | Israel Defense Forces ranks |
On the orders of David Ben-Gurion, the IDF was formed on 26 May 1948 and began to operate as a conscript military, drawing its initial recruits from the already-existing paramilitaries of the Yishuv—namely Haganah, the Irgun, and Lehi. It was formed shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and has participated in every armed conflict involving Israel. In the wake of the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty and the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, the IDF underwent a significant strategic realignment. Previously spread across various fronts—Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and Iraq in the east, and Egypt in the south—the IDF redirected its focus towards southern Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank. In 2000, the IDF withdrew from Southern Lebanon and in 2005 from Gaza. Conflict between Israel and Islamist groups based in Gaza, notably Hamas, has continued since then. Moreover, notable Israeli–Syrian border incidents have occurred frequently since 2011, due to regional instability caused by the Syrian civil war.
Since 1967, the IDF has had a close security relationship with the United States, including in research and development cooperation, with joint efforts on the F-15I, the Tactical High-Energy Laser, and the Arrow, among others. The IDF is believed to have maintained an operational nuclear weapons capability since 1967, possibly possessing between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads.