Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel is preparing for the possibility that its enemies will attempt to invade the country, as he visited IDF forces deployed along the eastern frontier with Jordan.

Accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu last week toured positions held by the IDF’s 96th Division, including one of the newly upgraded water-line outposts near the border. Commanders briefed the prime minister on efforts to harden Israel’s defenses in the sector, including a new security barrier, expanded surveillance capabilities, and additional defensive systems.

Israel’s enemies, Netanyahu said, must be understood according to their intentions, not Western wishful thinking.

“We take into account that our enemies want to invade the State of Israel, and therefore we rely on you,” he told soldiers and commanders. “The entire nation of Israel relies on you. I salute you.”

The visit followed a surprise General Staff-level exercise conducted days earlier along the Jordanian border. The drill tested Israel’s readiness for large-scale infiltration scenarios, drone attacks, and complex assaults on civilian areas in the sectors of the 96th “Gilead” and 80th “Edom” reserve divisions.

Reservists were called up overnight as part of the exercise, which simulated attacks on Israeli communities and incidents near the Dead Sea. The drill also involved fighter jets, attack helicopters, and Israeli Air Force special forces, who practiced responding to a simulated infiltration at a hotel.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the central lesson of the October 7 massacre is the need for constant readiness against surprise attacks on Israel’s borders.

That lesson is now reshaping Israel’s eastern defense posture.

For Jerusalem, the assumption is no longer that quiet borders remain quiet by default. The assumption is that enemies watch, probe, and wait — and that Israel must be ready before they move.

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