Shin Bet Chief David Zini Warns Eilat Could Be Next Oct. 7 Attack

Shin Bet chief David Zini warned in closed-door discussions that Eilat could be “the next Oct. 7,” according to a report citing security sources, and instructed senior officials to put possible attack scenarios in the southern resort city at the top of their priorities.

“Haaretz newspaper, citing security sources, revealed that the head of Israel's General Security Service (Shin Bet), David Zini, warned in closed discussions of the possibility of carrying out an attack on the city of Eilat, modeled on the 'Al-Aqsa Flood' on October 7, 2023, considering the city a security vulnerability due to its isolated geographical location”

Al-Jazeera Net

The warning framed Eilat as an “exposed city” because of its isolated location at Israel’s southern tip near the borders with Jordan and Egypt and along the Red Sea, with the scenario including a possible ground infiltration into the city from its land borders, particularly from Jordan, and possibly also from the sea.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Shin Bet later said there was no concrete intelligence or specific warning of an attack on Eilat, adding that “Several months ago, as part of the process of taking office and studying the various threats, the Shin Bet chief conducted a tour of Eilat.”

The IDF announced it would hold a drill Tuesday morning in the Gulf of Eilat area, saying residents could expect increased movement of security forces and vessels while stressing there was “no concern of a security incident.”

Haaretz reported that Zini believes “the next October 7 will be in Eilat,” and said security sources told the paper he warned of a ground invasion into the city from its land borders, particularly from the Jordanian border, and possibly also from its maritime borders.

The Jerusalem Post said sources reported that security officials were expressing doubt about the importance Zini assigns to the scenario and about the existence of intelligence indicating a planned attack, while also quoting the Shin Bet’s position that “there is no concrete information or warning, but rather systematic operational planning and study of threats across all the service’s areas of responsibility.”

Haaretz

Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri confirmed there was no concrete information about a new or immediate threat to the city, saying “Eilat is well protected, prepared, and alert thanks to a broad security envelope.”

Hanan Ginat, head of the Hevel Eilot Regional Council, said Zini’s remarks did not surprise local officials and that “It is clear to us that the eastern border area is currently the most sensitive in the country.”

Israel National News described a security probe into a vessel infiltration in the Gulf of Eilat that occurred approximately three weeks earlier, when IDF forces declared a suspected infiltration in Eilat’s maritime space and Israeli Navy forces identified a vessel that crossed the eastern border in the Gulf and opened fire at it.

“Approximately three weeks after a vessel infiltrated the Gulf of Eilat, defense officials are considering the possibility that the vessel was not manned, but rather served as a means of testing the defense forces' reaction”

Israel National News

The inquiry found no indication that a passenger existed after Jordanian sources said an individual on the vessel was wounded, and Channel 14 reported the vessel was probably unmanned and designed for intelligence gathering or carrying explosives.

The probe said authorities were examining whether the incident was a deliberate move by a hostile actor seeking to test the readiness of forces in the area, including a possibility that individuals affiliated with the Houthis attempted to conduct a “readiness test" of the Israeli Navy ahead of a possible hostile operation or future attack in the Eilat area.

Across the reporting, Zini’s Eilat focus was paired with calls to prepare for scenarios tied to the eastern border, with Ginat warning that the border with Jordan in the southern Arava is already used for constant smuggling of weapons, drugs and undocumented migrants and could become routes for terrorist cells seeking to infiltrate Israel and attack local communities.