IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has cancelled a planned visit to the United States in about a week and a half and will remain in Israel due to heightened security tensions and an increased state of alert he ordered in the military.
Zamir stays in Israel as alert level rises
Zamir told his American hosts that under the current circumstances he prefers to stay in Israel. He had ordered the IDF to raise its alert level and instructed commanders to remain in their sectors, reasoning that it would be inappropriate to manage developments from abroad. A senior IDF official summed up the decision: “You can’t put the army on alert and fly abroad.”
The trip had included planned talks with the commander of US Central Command and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which were expected to focus on cooperation between the two militaries in confronting Iran and other threats. Those meetings will not take place as scheduled.
The heightened alert covers several fronts. In the Gaza Strip, the IDF says there is a concrete warning of a possible Hamas attempt to abduct a soldier. Israeli officials assess Hamas may try to exploit the period ahead of elections in Israel and the United States, operating on the assumption that Israel’s ability to respond forcefully could be limited.
The IDF views the combination of the Tishrei holidays, the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, and Israel’s election campaign as requiring special vigilance. Military planners are concerned that even a localized incident could quickly escalate into a broader confrontation.
Zamir’s decision to remain in Israel was made before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on Tuesday at the Israeli Air Force’s Tel Nof base, where Netanyahu warned that Israel’s enemies might attempt attacks ahead of the elections. The IDF also says there is currently no known concrete warning of an attack against Israel, but maintains a broader assessment that the sensitive period could be exploited by Israel’s adversaries.
