The Zionist army has canceled the training of various reserve divisions, including elite Ground Forces and in the Northern Command, due to budgetary concerns amid concerns over army readiness for the next battles with Hezbollah, according to a Haaretz report.

Senior reserve officers were informed on Monday that division drills for combat on the southern and northern fronts have been canceled until the end of the year, it said.

The absence of a budget plan due to several factors- among which are the lack of a government and decisions made by the Zionist army chief of staff Aviv Kochavi upon his appointment earlier this year, led to the cancellations, the Jerusalem Post said.

The report stated that in recent weeks, the head of the Zionist Ground Forces reviewed the training budget for the year and found that the decisions made by Kochavi had not been taken into account in the existing budget – which is due to expire in 2020 – and led to overspending.

According to Haaretz, the cancellation affected around 6% of military drills, mostly for reservists.

A senior Israeli officer who serve in the North of occupied Palestine told Haaretz that the cancellation of drills could have a major negative effect on the military’s readiness for war with Hezbollah.

“In recent years, we’ve been preparing for significant scenarios that could develop in the North, and a year without a significant exercise that would link the forces could gravely affect the army’s readiness for the next battle,” he was quoted as saying.

The Israeli report came as Lebanon celebrates the 13th anniversary of the divine victory over the Israeli enemy in 2006. After a 33-day war (July 12 – August 14) with the Zionist entity, Hezbollah emerged victorious, causing the occupying regime a severe blow that questioned its ability to face the resistance party in any future war.

Source: Israeli media