More than 500 reserve pilots plan to sign on for service due to ongoing judicial reform proceedings, according to Hebrew media. Pilots have reportedly collected signatures in order to submit an official letter to the commander.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was informed of the matter at hand. The Air Force reportedly created a team specified for damage control of the situation.
The IDF added, though, based on a review of who the refusers are, in which units they serve, and how many air force combat pilots, aircraft, and infantrymen are available, the military is still fully ready for war.
It further warned that the number of reservists refusing to serve could exponentially increase in the days or weeks to come based on the political developments, but also that the numbers of reservists refusing to serve could be much smaller than how it seems right now.
Pilots reporting from different units were involved
Not all those who refused call-ups were from the same units. Certain jobs or units missing training sessions might have minimal consequences, whereas certain roles, such as combat pilots, could see a quick change in their status, from standard flight status to only flying a simulator. At the same time, if a pilot misses a limited amount of training, they might be returned quickly from simulator status back to flight status.
The military noted that every case would be dealt with on an individual basis, depending on how important and replaceable an individual is. Some may be discharged, some expelled, while others would be only temporarily suspended.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.