“This doesn’t have a Din of Milchemes Mitzva”
In another thread I pointed out at least three gedolim who disagreed with that statement: Rabbi Shlomo Goren z’tz’l, Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli z’tz’l, and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner shlita. There are probably others as well. In any case, without the IDF, there would likely be no Jews in Eretz Yisrael or anywhere else in the Middle East today, as the Arab rodfim would run all over us and kill us all.