Reserve soldier says drone threat has become strategic, urges economic incentives for Haredi enlistment

In a special interview from Israel’s northern border, reserve soldier Kfir Heyman, who says he has completed about 500 reserve days since the war began, described rising exhaustion among reservists, a new aerial threat, and the debate over Haredi draft policy. Heyman is one of the leaders of the reservists’ movement and said the situation on the ground reflects both heavy strain and a need for national solidarity.

Heyman said drone attacks have shifted from a tactical nuisance to a strategic danger. According to him, the most worrying system now is fiber-optic drones, which he said cannot be detected or jammed by the army’s electronic warfare systems. “This is the main threat to us,” he said, adding that the army is working on defensive and offensive measures to stop drones from harming civilians and troops. He argued the threat is not exaggerated, because drones can strike without warning and reach children on their way to school and targets “dozens of kilometers” from the border, undermining the long-standing assumption that distance protects the rear.

He also pointed to a severe manpower shortage. Citing a tank soldier in Lebanon, he quoted him as saying, “Come, it does not matter what your rifle qualification is, just come help us carry jerrycans.” Heyman said many reservists are parents with businesses and are simply breaking under the burden.

On Haredi enlistment, Heyman said the army has done more than any other institution to integrate the Haredi sector, and he spoke from experience as a former commander in a Haredi paratroopers company, saying religious rules were respected. Still, he said Israel needs tens of thousands more fighters and cannot allow a whole sector to have “its own law.” He rejected police vans and arrests, but backed economic sanctions, saying citizenship comes with rights and obligations. Those who want full separation, he argued, should not take state benefits such as National Insurance, discounts, housing aid, or public transport subsidies. He concluded with a call for partnership and said, “We love you, our Haredi brothers.”