Overview
- The Israel Defense Forces began a surprise, countrywide readiness exercise that called up senior commanders, mobilized standby forces and assessed reserve readiness, with the army warning the public to expect increased security movements but saying there was no active incident.
- Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir directed and observed the drill from the Supreme Command Post and from field positions while IDF Comptroller officers carried out inspections of units and headquarters to verify operational preparedness.
- The military announced a follow-on large-scale rehearsal in the Eilat and Jordan Valley area led by the 80th “Edom” Division to practice air, sea and land infiltration scenarios and to test coordination with the Air Force, Navy, police and emergency responders.
- The exercise explicitly incorporates lessons from the October 7, 2023 attacks and reflects a doctrinal shift toward removing threats before they materialize as part of efforts to fix command-and-control and reserve activation gaps exposed in that attack.
- Officials and former security figures say the public drills serve both to reassure partners and to deter regional adversaries, and they may lead to more frequent unannounced checks and tighter readiness measures for troops and reserve families during the holiday period.