Shin Bet chief reportedly orders planning for possible attack on Eilat

According to a report in Haaretz, Shin Bet chief Zini has instructed senior officers to prioritize a scenario in which Eilat is attacked, saying the city’s isolated geographic location makes it a security weak point. The report says he has pressed the service’s intelligence units to focus on that possibility.

The article says Zini has warned in discussions inside and outside the Shin Bet about a possible ground incursion into the city from its land borders, especially from Jordan, and that he also wants a seaward infiltration scenario taken into account. Despite that emphasis, sources quoted in the report said security officials doubt both the importance he assigns to the threat and whether there is intelligence showing a planned attack.

The Shin Bet said Zini visited Eilat several months ago, as part of his entry into office and his review of different threats, including a tour partly carried out with the army to examine preparedness. The agency stressed that there is no concrete information or warning about a specific threat, only operational planning and a broader study of threats across the service’s areas of activity.

Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri responded that there is no concrete information about a new or immediate threat to the city. He added that the city and the security forces protecting it are ready for any scenario, and said that since the start of the war he has held regular discussions with all security agencies. "Eilat is well protected, prepared and alert," he said.