Israel’s army chief says the enemy is looking for a way to catch Israel off guard. He has moved a division to make sure it doesn’t.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir delivered that message Wednesday at Central Command, in an assessment attended by the commanders of the Judea and Samaria Division and the 98th and 96th Divisions. Commanders from the Shin Bet and the Border Police were also present.
His assessment was blunt: the potential for escalation has grown. He tied that to a rise in alerts on every front and to what he called the sensitivity of this period. The 98th Division has been sent into Judea and Samaria to reinforce security and stability. Zamir said forces had been strengthened across all sectors and were bracing for attempts to surprise them.
He also said the army was ready for “extensive offensive operations against anyone who attempts to harm Israeli civilians.”
Israel will be distracted
Israelis vote on October 27. On Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel had detected signs that Iran and its proxies want to carry out attacks to sway the outcome. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a similar claim on Channel 14, naming Hezbollah and Hamas as possible instruments and Judea-Samaria as a possible arena.
The IDF said Tuesday that troops acting on Shin Bet intelligence had arrested four Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Qabatiya and Arraba, near Jenin, who were planning an attack. The same day, police reported arresting a Palestinian suspected of past terror involvement. He had been seen filming inside a Bnei Brak light-rail station, was in Israel illegally, and had falsely claimed to be an Israeli from Tayibe.
Israel won’t be surprised again
Three years ago, Israel’s enemies chose a holiday morning when the country’s attention was elsewhere. October 7 was not a failure of firepower. It was a failure of expectation.
The 96th Division, which was represented in Wednesday’s meeting, exists because of that lesson. It is a reserve division activated in October 2024 to defend Israeli communities against attacks like those of Oct. 7.
Protecting the Palestinian harvest
Zamir signaled that the presence of the 98th Division in Judea and Samaria will also help to maintain separation between local Jewish residents and Palestinian Arabs during the upcoming olive harvest.
Tensions have been high between Jews and Arabs in the biblical heartland. Palestinians have perpetrated thousands of attacks against local Jewish residents over the past year, while gangs of Jewish extremists have made headlines for retaliatory actions condemned by Israeli leaders.
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