Israeli Army Expecting Attacks on the Borders with Lebanon and Jordan

1. Summary: Determined to defend their homeland, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is currently on alert to a highly-elevated risk of terror attacks and infiltration from both the Lebanon and Jordan’s borders. This comes after the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (MID) briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an attack by an Egyptian border guard on June 3, 2023, which left three Israeli soldiers dead. The MID is concerned about the potential copycat situation amid mounting tensions with Jordan, noting that even members of the Jordanian Royal Family and Jordanian intelligence operations hold profound anti-Israeli views. At the same time, the Israelis are expecting more serve attacks from the Lebanese front, warning that Hezbollah may resort to kidnapping Israeli soldiers again as it did in 2006 which resulted in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

2. JaFaJ Intelligence Solutions has learned that the IDF is on high alert for potential terror attacks on Israel’s borders, with a focus being on the Lebanese and Jordanian Borders. JaFaJ has also confirmed that the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (MID) fully briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 4, 2023 about the surge of potential border attacks and that Israel needed to be prepared for “copycat actions” that could (would) lead to a variety of deadly scenarios.

3. These warnings came less than 24 hours after an Egyptian border guard shot and killed two Israeli soldiers as they secured their position on the Egyptian border on June 3, 2023. The Egyptians crossed into Israeli territory and then killed a third Israeli soldier before he was neutralized by the Israeli forces.

4. According to Egypt’s official media, the government claims that the guard crossed the borders while he was chasing drug traffickers. JaFaJ has learned from American sources in Egypt, that “while the Egyptian military intelligence is still investigating the incident, they are convinced this was a terror attack, and that it is unlikely they will ever acknowledge this publicly.”

5. According to well-informed JaFaJ sources, MID has confirmed that the risk of increased attacks from Lebanon “may not be limited to throwing mortar shells as usual, and will possibly involve both infiltrating the borders and kidnapping soldiers like Hezbollah did in 2006.” [COMMENT: in 2006, the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, infiltrated the Israeli borders, killed eight Israelis soldier, and kidnapped two Israelis. This ultimately resulted in the 2006 war in Lebanon. END COMMENT]

6. JaFaJ can also confirm the MID has also warned of the “surging risk of terror attacks on the borders with Jordan, as those may be carried out by members of the Jordanian military.” The source added that the attacks may be triggered by a “potential copycat effect,” similar to the one carried out by the Egyptian officer earlier this week. A source reported the MID’s concern that such an attack is likely to happen because of elevated, “wide-spread hatred for Israel by the Jordanian Royal Family, as well as the military and intelligence, ranks that are closest to King Abdullah.”

7. Conclusion: As tensions rise in the Middle East and the fallout from the recent arrest of Jordan’s King’s loyalist and Parliament Member Emad Al-Edwan for smuggling both weapons and gold and his ultimate release, problems are going to arise. In addition, after the recent attack on Israeli soldiers by an Egyptian border guard, Israel will remain on high alert as she has tightened her borders. What is more alarming to Israel is the fact that she could not depend on her formerly trusted Arab allies, Jordan, and Egypt, to protect her borders. This sobering fact is a reminder that Israel can only depend on herself for protecting her citizens, and that as the region’s economic woes play a huge role in the actions of all governments and their people.