Israeli intelligence fears an attack on Eilat similar to that of October 7. Hamas remains weakened, but continues to receive funds and weapons that favor its reorganization.
New concerns for Israeli security emerge from the southern front. Reportedly, the director of the Shin Bet David Zini would have raised, during a series of confidential meetings, an alarm regarding the possibility of a coordinated attack against Eilatthe main Israeli city on the Red Sea. The scenario evoked would be that of a large-scale operation comparable to the one conducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. According to information reported by the newspaper and attributed to anonymous security sources, David Zini would have asked the agency’s leaders to concentrate a significant part of the planning activities on the defense of the city, considered particularly exposed due to its peripheral geographical position and distance from the main operational centers of the country.
The assessments of the head of the Shin Bet they would hypothesize a simultaneous offensive coming from multiple directions, including land infiltrations across the Jordanian border and possible incursions by sea. In the framework outlined by David Zini the involvement of the Houthis Yemenis supported byIranwhich despite being over two thousand kilometers away have already demonstrated their ability to strike in the past Eilat using long-range missiles and drones. However, not all security apparatuses share these concerns. Some officials have in fact expressed doubts about the concrete possibility of an attack of this magnitude, claiming that it would not be clear on which specific intelligence information the assessments made by the director of the Shin Bet.
Alarm on the Red Sea and splits in intelligence
Appointed to lead the agency in October 2025, David Zini recently paid a visit to the city of Red Sea to meet local security managers and directly assess the vulnerabilities of the area. Already in recent weeks he had attracted the attention of the Israeli media for having reported to the government what he described as an attempt at growing influence by the Israeli Arab population in the tourist city. According to other rumors, some officials of the Shin Bet they would have judged the increase in transfers of Israeli Arab citizens to “worrying”. Eilat. The agency, responding to the news published in the press, confirmed the visit of its director, specifying however that it was not linked to any immediate threat or specific operational alarms. In an official note, it Shin Bet explained that the inspection was part of a broader process of strategic assessment of threats affecting all sectors of the organisation’s competence.
As he points out Times of Israel the guide of David Zini However, it remains at the center of numerous controversies. His appointment came after the dismissal of the previous director, Ronen Bardecided by the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The choice caused a long legal battle which culminated in several appeals presented to theHigh Court of Justicealso supported by three former managers of the Shin Bet who had expressed doubts about his suitability for the job. In the end, however, the judges rejected the challenges, allowing him to formally take over the leadership of the agency.
The change of priorities and the reorganization of Hamas
Since he took office, David Zini it would also introduce significant changes in the operational priorities of the Shin Bet. According to some reconstructions, the fight against Jewish terrorism against the Palestinians has lost its centrality and certain episodes of violence have been classified as simple phenomena of “friction”. The figure of the director has been further embroiled in controversy after, in recent months, his brother Bezalel Zini was accused of being part of a criminal network engaged in the smuggling of goods to the Gaza Strip during the conflict with Hamas.
Just the dossier Gaza continues to represent a major concern for Israeli intelligence. Despite the heavy losses suffered during more than two years of war, Hamas it is not considered a threat that has been overcome. The movement’s military structures have been severely weakened, numerous commanders have been eliminated and much of the operational infrastructure has been destroyed, but the group continues to benefit from financial flows, clandestine supply networks and regional support channels that allow it to maintain a recruiting capacity and gradually rebuild part of its forces. For the Israeli security apparatus, the risk of new complex operations cannot therefore be ruled out.
International intrigue in the Emirates and emergency evacuation
Meanwhile, another story related to Shin Bet has emerged in the last few hours. According to reports from Channel 12the former director Ronen Bar would have been evacuated in great secrecy by the United Arab Emirates after receiving an alert regarding a possible Iranian threat to him. Ronen Bar and his wife were in the Gulf country to participate in an international conference dedicated to security issues.
Although some sources have denied the direct involvement of the Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the organization of the event, other reconstructions report the presence of senior Emirati security officials, representatives of the intelligence services and political decision-makers from numerous countries. During the stay, the former head of the Shin Bet would have received information about a possible threat to their security attributable to theIran. Following the warning, an immediate evacuation would be organized towards Israelconducted with the utmost discretion. Ronen Bar has not released a statement on the matter. The episode fits into the context of the close relationships developed between Israel and United Arab Emirates after the signing of the Abraham Accords of 2020, a cooperation also built on the common perception of the threat represented by Tehran.
