Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced the military will shift its planning from presumed enemy intent to enemy capability, keep larger forces at higher readiness, strengthen border communities, and overhaul warning systems. Zamir said Israel paid dearly for assuming Hamas was deterred before Oct. 7, and that assumption is being discarded.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced that the IDF will shift its war preparation doctrine. Under the new approach, the military will plan based on enemy capability—what an adversary is able to do—rather than on presumed intentions. Zamir said this will involve maintaining a larger standing force at heightened readiness, strengthening border communities, and overhauling early-warning systems. He explicitly addressed the pre-Oct. 7 assumption that Hamas was deterred, stating that Israel paid dearly for that assumption and it is now being discarded. The doctrinal change addresses a key failure identified in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack: the military's over-reliance on deterrence and misreading of Hamas's intentions. Further operational directives are expected in the coming weeks.
5 developments
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- StrongZamir: All fronts in transitional phase, IDF must be ready for immediate escalation
- DevelopingChief of Staff instructs IDF to prepare for offensive scenario against Iran amid talks
- DevelopingKatz responds to Zolqader threat: IDF ready for any scenario
Source and signal
- Open-source intake