Israel's military is taking steps that suggest it may be preparing for a potential conflict. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has canceled military leaves and arrested a group of ultra-orthodox Jewish men for evading the draft.
What happened
The IDF has been put on high alert, with service members' leaves frozen in preparation for Israel's upcoming election on October 27. According to the IDF Chief of Staff, the military will maintain a high level of vigilance and readiness across all fronts.
In a related development, IDF military police arrested at least 40 ultra-orthodox Jews at Ben Gurion Airport for attempting to evade the draft. This comes after a 2024 ruling that made ultra-orthodox Jews subject to mandatory military service.
Additionally, the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, although the details of the meeting have not been publicly disclosed. Hegseth later posted a photo on social media, stating that US servicemembers in the CENTCOM region were on a
