Israel SitRep: February 26, 2025

Today’s Issue: | IDF Presents Kibbutz Nahal Oz Members With Findings of October 7 Probe | IDF’s Aman Military Intelligence Implements Significant Changes Following Investigations Into October 7 Failures | Alma: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Assisting in Hezbollah Rehabilitation Efforts | Syrian President Tells Druze Delegation: ‘We Want Peace. We Have No Enemies’ | Latest FDD Analysis

IDF Presents Kibbutz Nahal Oz Members With Findings of October 7 Probe: On Wednesday, the IDF briefed residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the findings of its probe into events at the kibbutz on October 7. The briefing was conducted by Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus, head of the Northern Corps and Multidomain Joint Maneuver Array; Col. (Res.) Yaron Sitbon, who heads the investigation into the battle at Nahal Oz; and Home Front Command and Israeli Air Force officers. According to the findings, some 180 Hamas terrorists invaded the kibbutz in three stages, starting at about 7 a.m. when they entered through the back gate. Another group attacked three hours later from the north, and an hour later, a third group attacked. Eleven special forces soldiers fought the terrorists, with one soldier killed and four wounded. Maglan commando unit soldiers attempted to reach Nahal Oz at noon but were caught up in heavy fighting in the access road and entered only at 1:15 p.m. Golani Brigade soldiers fighting outside the kibbutz starting in the early morning stopped terrorists who attempted to enter but were later deployed to areas with even more intense fighting. The IDF’s response to the invasion from Gaza was delayed because the army had not expected a full-scale war.

IDF’s Aman Military Intelligence Implements Significant Changes Following Investigations Into October 7 Failures: On Tuesday, Doron Kadosh, military correspondent for Israel Army Radio, wrote about changes being made by the Aman Military Intelligence Directorate following investigations into the failures of October 7, whose findings will be presented soon. Aman completed most of its investigations months ago and has already implemented several changes: 1) a dramatic increase in the number of personnel studying Arabic, Arab culture, and Islam, which had been neglected for years; 2) a much greater use of intelligence sources besides cyber intelligence and signals intelligence (eavesdropping), and information-sharing among different parts of Aman, such as cyber intelligence personnel and agent handlers or open-source intelligence personnel and satellite image analysts; 3) significant strengthening of human intelligence and open-source intelligence, which had been greatly weakened over the years — before October 7, Unit 504, which runs agents, did not have a single agent in Gaza, where human intelligence was the exclusive preserve of the Shin Bet; 4) better communication between Aman and the surveillance and combat intelligence collectionsoldiers in the field, whose reports have not reached the head of Aman and not been used in its intelligence assessments; 5) strengthening of intelligence warning; and 6) expanding Aman’s “Devil’s Advocate” unit, whose job is to question IDF assessments, which had only two staff members with limited authority on October 7.

Alma: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Assisting in Hezbollah Rehabilitation Efforts: On Monday, the Alma Research and Education Center published a report on Iranian assistance to Hezbollah, particularly from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in efforts to rehabilitate the group. According to Alma, IRGC experts and officers are in Lebanon and are working closely with Hezbollah, attempting to transfer cash and weapons to it and assessing Hezbollah’s wartime performance and failures. The IRGC is also apparently assisting Hezbollah in implementing changes to its economic institutions and organizational structure, and the report’s authors expect that the IRGC will help train new Hezbollah members, especially for combat units that lost a large number of operatives, such as the Radwan, Aziz, and Nasser units. According to estimates, some 4,000 Hezbollah members were killed and thousands injured during the war. Efforts to rehabilitate Hezbollah militarily will likely last for several years and involve large expenditures, and are expected to involve IRGC units, particularly from the IRGC-Quds Force, including training, logistics, and technology units. The report’s authors believe that the commander of the Quds Force Syria-Lebanon Corps will be in charge of the rehabilitation efforts.

Syrian President Tells Druze Delegation: ‘We Want Peace. We Have No Enemies’: Roi Kais, Arab affairs correspondent for Israel’s Channel 11, reported on Wednesday that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with a delegation of Syrian Druze the day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria. According to a person present at the meeting, Sharaa made conciliatory comments, stating, “We want peace. We have no enemies,” and adding that “we want to build a country and provide services” and “have no intention of starting a war with anyone.” According to the source, Sharaa said that Israel’s escalation against Syria was not justified and that the threats to Israel from Syria — the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and Iran — no longer exist. In addition, he stated that the new government is working to confiscate all the weapons Hezbollah is smuggling through Syria. Kais also notes that the closing statement from yesterday’s national dialogue conference in Damascus included a condemnation of Israel’s presence in Syria, but says that “behind the scenes,” Sharaa seems to be trying to convey reassuring messages to Jerusalem.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Henri Barkey, FDD Event

“Hassan Nasrallah May Be Dead, but at His Funeral, Hezbollah Showed It’s Alive and Kicking,” David Daoud, Haaretz

“Ship Carrying Chemical for Missile Development Docks in Iran,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Policy Brief

“Suwayda Military Council: A new Druze coalition emerges in Syria,” Ahmad Sharawi, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Is Iran poising itself for escalation with Israel?” Janatan Sayeh, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Netanyahu calls for the demilitarization of southern Syria,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“‘The Egyptian Solution’: Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid Unveils Peace Plan for Gaza,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Lawsuit Alleges Hamas Coordinated With Campus Protestors and Media in U.S.,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Attacked by ‘Those We Helped’: Murdered Israeli Hostage Oded Lifshitz Eulogized by Wife at Funeral,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief