Shin Bet chief said to fear Oct 7-style attack on Eilat, despite no intel on threat

Zini also reportedly displeased with idea of Arab Israelis moving to the southern resort city, portraying it to government as an attempted ‘takeover’

Shin Bet chief David Zini warned in closed forums recently about a potential mass attack on the southern city of Eilat resembling the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023, the Haaretz daily reported on Monday, citing several unnamed security sources.

According to the report, Zini ordered several senior officials in the security agency to give top priority to preparations for a scenario of a large-scale attack on the city, either from Jordanian territory or by sea, deeming the area a security weak spot due to its relative geographic remoteness.

Citing unnamed security sources, the report said Zini is anticipating a coordinated land invasion and attack by several terror groups, with the participation of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are located more than 2,000 kilometers from Israel but have fired missiles and drones at Eilat in the past.

The security sources cast doubt on the likelihood of such an attack, with one telling the outlet that “no one in the security establishment knows what intelligence [Zini] is relying on” to assert that Israel’s southernmost city is so vulnerable.

The Shin Bet chief, who entered the post in October 2025, recently visited Eilat to meet with security officials there. According to a Haaretz report last month, he also warned a cabinet meeting about an ongoing attempted “takeover” of the resort city by Arab Israelis.

Officials within the Shin Bet also reportedly characterized Arab Israelis moving to Eilat as a “worrying” trend.

Reacting to the report, the Shin Bet confirmed Zini’s visit to Eilat to assess “the various threats” that it faces.

In a statement, the agency stressed that “there is no information or concrete alert” that prompted the visit, and that it was instead conducted as part of “thorough operational planning and studying of the threats on all the fronts the agency deals with.”

Zini’s tenure at the Shin Bet thus far has been controversial, beginning with his appointment to lead the agency after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his predecessor, Ronen Bar, in June.

Several groups petitioned the High Court of Justice against Zini’s appointment, including three former Shin Bet chiefs who claimed he was unfit for the role. The petitions were eventually dismissed and he was cleared to take up his post.

Upon entering the role, Zini — who has described himself as having “messianic” views — reportedly changed the agency’s priorities to downgrade the importance of combating Jewish terror against Palestinians. The violence was reclassified as “friction.”

In February, one of Zini’s brothers, Bezalel Zini, was charged with participating in a ring that smuggled goods into Gaza during Israel’s war with the Hamas terror group.