Zamir drills Home Front for multi-front war; Shin Bet warns of Negev battalions

IDF Chief of Staff tests readiness for sudden multi-front war as Shin Bet chief warns of Bedouin military battalions in the Negev.

Zamir drills Home Front for multi-front war; Shin Bet warns of Negev battalions — IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted a surprise drill in the Home Front Command today, simulating a sudden multi-front war at the Zikim base. The exercise comes as Israel marks three years since the October 7, 2023, attack—a day that saw the invasion of 28 communities and 11 military bases, the murder of about 1,200 people, and the kidnapping of 251 Israelis and foreigners. [^1][^2] Since then, over 31,000 projectiles have been fired at Israel, and 970 soldiers have fallen in operational circumstances. [^3] Shin Bet chief David Zini told the last cabinet meeting that there are military infrastructures and attempts to establish Bedouin military battalions in the Negev. The warning, first published by i24, adds a new internal dimension to Israel's security challenges. [^4] Meanwhile, the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved an amendment to Military Cemeteries Regulations today, allowing headstones of kidnapped soldiers to include abduction detail. [^5] The committee also heard Attorney Gilad Yitzhak Bar-Tal, representing parents of female observers from Nahal Oz, say: "We are convinced that the army has many materials that were not transferred to the parents of the female observers—we will not allow anyone to hide the truth. They took everything from them, at least answers are due to them." [^6] A senior official assessed that Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran will try to attack, and that Israel has prepared in advance. The question, as c14 frames it in a right-leaning analysis, is whether Israel has truly learned the lessons of October 7—or whether the reactive posture persists. Black Sea drone attack, Houthi missiles, and a canceled rescue flight — Two commercial ships were attacked yesterday (Tuesday) in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone using naval and aerial drones. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting and condemned the attack, but emphasized that it is not yet known whether Russia or Ukraine is behind it. Ukrainian President Zelensky directly accused Russia of a combined attack. The incident, the first of its kind in N