Israel’s military chief warned during a strategic assessment with the military’s top leadership on Monday that the ongoing campaign against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip is “one of the most complex” the Israel Defense Forces has ever faced.
During the rare “multi-front situational assessment” at the Glilot intelligence base — the first of its kind in nearly two years — IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and top generals reviewed the operational, intelligence, and strategic picture across all fronts, the military said Tuesday, “from the close borders to the depths of the Middle East, including a systemic look from Tehran to Gaza.”
The changes reflect the lessons the IDF has learned from the failures to stop the October 7, 2023, massacre and the subsequent wars that have seen the military fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank and carrying out an extensive air campaign against Iran and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Zamir laid out his changes to the IDF’s “defense perception” to the officers, including five main components: defense via offense; security zones on every border, with the IDF standing in front of civilian communities; not ignoring enemy intentions and capabilities; recognizing that the fronts on which Israel is fighting are not similar — neither in the achievements required, the method of fighting, or the results the IDF desires — which effects the length of the campaign in each front; and strengthening the military’s capability to move from routine to emergencies and to respond to surprise attacks.
In remarks from the meeting published by the military, Zamir said that “the IDF is required to operate offensively on multiple fronts alongside vital defense in each sector and on the borders,” adding that the IDF will “continue to preserve air superiority and advance the intelligence effort.”
Zamir said the campaign against Hamas in Gaza “is one of the most complex the IDF has ever known.”
“We have achieved very significant accomplishments, and the Southern Command continues to lead with standing army and reserve brigades in offense and defense,” he said. Due to the ongoing fighting in Gaza, senior Southern Command officers joined the assessment remotely.
“We are paying a heavy price in the fighting. Today alone, we have seen this,” he said, referring to two soldiers killed in separate incidents in the Strip’s south on Monday. “We will continue to act to achieve our objectives: the return of the hostages and the collapse of Hamas.”
Zamir said the IDF continues to operate on multiple fronts: “We will continue to weaken and prevent strategic capabilities from Syria and Hezbollah and preserve our freedom of action. We are operating in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and continuing to fight terror in a consistent and ongoing manner.”
Regarding Iran, after last month’s 12-day war, Zamir said, “Iran and its axis remain in our sights; the campaign against Iran isn’t over,” adding that 2026 would be a year focused on “preparedness, realizing achievements, returning to competency and fundamentals, and seizing operational opportunities.”
Also, during the meeting, Zamir announced that the IDF would establish a new “guidance department” under the Military Colleges that would be tasked with “advancing and drawing lessons from the war and for military learning processes in general.”
Zamir also told the generals that the Depth Corps, a mostly dormant shadowy multidisciplinary unit responsible for military operations beyond Israel’s borders, would undergo major changes to turn it into a headquarters responsible for “management, strategy, and command over General Staff-level deep operations and systems,” especially within the so-called “second circle,” meaning Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Iraq, and other areas not directly on Israel’s borders.
Zamir recently led a shuffle in the General Staff, appointing separate commanders for the Military Colleges and Depth Corps, which until now had been commanded by one general.
Stav Levaton contributed to this report.