The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that in the spring and summer of 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received several messages from military intelligence warning him about how the country's enemies assess social upheaval in Israel at that time, the Times of Israel reported.

"During 2023, between March and July, the Intelligence Directorate sent four different warning letters that showed how Israel's enemies in different theatres of war regard the damage to cohesion in the State of Israel and the IDF in particular," the letter from an IDF spokesman to the NGO Hatzlacha said.

"Hatzlacha claims the request for information was submitted seven months in advance.

Some blame the government's attempts to reform the judiciary and the rise of a mass opposition movement for showing weakness, leading to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.

During the mass demonstrations, air force reservists and other soldiers suspended their service to protest against the government's actions, prompting the army to warn of possible repercussions on the country's defense capability.