Women are playing a growing role across the IDF’s combat and operational units during Operation Roaring Lion, the IDF said on Sunday as it marked International Women’s Day with new data and footage highlighting female service members in action.
Women now make up 21.2% of the IDF’s combat force, up from 7.2% in 2015, while about 20% of reservists called up for the current campaign are women, according to figures released by the military.
The IDF said women are serving in frontline and support roles across the operation, both at the front and on the home front. More than 90% of military positions are now open to women, the IDF added, emphasizing what it described as a long-term effort to expand women’s access to combat and operational roles.
In the Israel Air Force (IAF), women account for about 50% of personnel in the Air Defense Array, one of the most heavily engaged branches in the current conflict. The military also said about 5,000 female reservists are serving in the IAF in the current operation. Reports released on Sunday said more than 30 women have served as aircrew on strikes and other aerial missions connected to the campaign.
Broader changes beyond the battlefield
The Israeli Navy has also seen a notable female presence during the operation. Around 25 female officers are taking part in Operation Roaring Lion, the IDF said, alongside roughly 130 female combat sailors serving aboard missile ships. Women also make up about 40% of personnel in naval intelligence, planning, command, and fire-direction roles, according to the reported data.
The IDF also underscored the growing role of women in technologically intensive and combat-linked operational units, noting that women comprised about 40% of combat soldiers serving in electronic warfare units within the IDF's 5114th Spectrum Battalion, which operates electronic warfare capabilities.
The military also pointed to broader changes in women’s representation beyond the battlefield. As of 2025, women make up about 35% of career-service personnel, including around 24% of lieutenant colonels and 15% of colonels.
IDF releases footage to highlight womens' contribution to current operation
Supporting the figures with real-life examples, the IDF published on Sunday footage of women serving at sea, in the air, and on land, including a missile ship commander identified as Maj. R., a female combat navigator in the Israeli Air Force, and Capt. S., a company commander in the Search and Rescue Brigade.
“We attack and intercept aerial threats, all in order to protect the home,” said Maj. R. "Our spirits are high, and we will remain here for as long as it takes," she added.
Capt. S. said her forces were “ready to reach any scene required in order to save lives.” She added, "Every day, and especially today on International Women's Day, I'm proud to be commanding male and female soldiers and saving lives."
In footage released by the IDF, a female IAF combat navigator who took part in the interception of a UAV over Iran can be heard saying, “I have stable contact, fire."
The release of the footage is part of a broader effort to highlight what the IDF said was the central contribution of women across multiple theaters of the current operation.