IDF Armored Brigade Commander Fears Repeat of October 7th
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Colonel Shaul Israeli, commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, fears a repeat of the October 7th attack, stating that commanders must learn from past failures. He highlighted the importance of continuous learning and soldier spirit for combat effectiveness. Israeli also called for increased mandatory service and army size to address personnel shortages and evolving threats.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Colonel Shaul Israeli fears another October 7th-scale event could occur.
- He stressed that commanders must learn from the Yom Kippur War and October 7th.
- Israeli highlighted soldier spirit and continuous learning as key to combat improvement.
- He called for a 36-month mandatory service to address IDF personnel shortages.
- The commander acknowledged evolving threats, especially from drones.
Colonel Shaul Israeli, commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, expressed concern in a recent interview that an event of the scale of October 7th could happen again. "No one can say it can't happen, and I fear an event of this magnitude will occur. Everyone should be afraid," Israeli stated on Kan News radio. He emphasized that both the Yom Kippur War and October 7th should serve as foundational assumptions for commanders, urging them to identify blind spots, prepare for surprises, and build capabilities to operate even when assessments prove wrong.
Recalling the early hours of October 7th, when he served as head of planning for the Ground Forces, Israeli described how initial reports of forces moving south were underestimated as a localized incident. He noted that the learning process and the spirit of the soldiers have been the main drivers of improvement and decisive combat since that Saturday. Israeli defined "victory" on a tactical level, citing successful operations in Lebanon and Gaza where infrastructure was destroyed and tactical decision-making was clear.
Addressing ongoing threats, particularly from drones, Israeli acknowledged they will continue to evolve and new threats will emerge, requiring robust morale, readiness, and operational tools. Regarding personnel shortages in the IDF, he advocated for a 36-month mandatory service period and called for accelerating force buildup and increasing the army's size. When asked about societal divisions, Israeli referenced his father, who was a POW in the Yom Kippur War, highlighting the unity he witnessed among prisoners from all backgrounds as a source of inspiration.
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