IDF on High Alert for Multi-Front Holiday Attacks

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is on heightened alert across all fronts ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, preparing for the possibility of simultaneous local incidents in the north, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria escalating into a multi-front event. "The lessons of October 7th are before our eyes," a senior officer told Kan News. Over the past month and a half, the military has approved operational plans and defined alert levels for the holiday period, emphasizing that operational forces will not be reduced and offensive activity will continue.

Leave for some units have been curtailed, with reserve forces remaining on bases and in operational areas. All commanders in Judea and Samaria, including senior officers, are spending the holiday with their troops. In the north, alert levels were raised following the destruction of Hezbollah's underground infrastructure on the Ali Taher ridge, with the IDF anticipating a potential Hezbollah response to the demolition of the complex, considered a strategic asset in southern Lebanon.

In the Gaza Strip, a high state of alert is maintained, with two divisions continuing offensive-defensive operations. Forces are securing a wide area east of the Gaza border and the security belt protecting communities near the border. The most significant alert is in Judea and Samaria, where 26 battalions, including 14 regular ones, are deployed, with an additional division on standby. The primary concerns include infiltration attacks on communities, shooting at vehicles, roadside bombs, and attacks at gathering points.

A surprise drill began early Friday in the Judea and Samaria division, involving all battalions to test response times, operational readiness, and cooperation with police and rescue forces. The IDF clarified this was a planned exercise, not a security incident. This drill follows a recent large-scale exercise simulating a multi-front surprise attack.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated the exercise sends a message to adversaries: "The IDF is capable, prepared, and ready to defend the State of Israel, and ready to act quickly and strike powerfully anyone who tries to harm us." The IDF's main lesson for the holidays is that the danger may not be a large, planned attack from one front, but rather several small incidents occurring concurrently, exploiting the holiday lull. Consequently, there will be no operational quiet, no reduction in combat forces, and no assumption that the enemy will refrain from action during this period.