Israel Defense Forces expand protection for military personnel in Israel and abroad — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, the Israel Defense Forces have expanded the authority of the personal security unit responsible for protecting military personnel and senior officials from threats in the country and abroad. These include risks related to terrorism, espionage, cyberattacks, the publication of military personnel’s personal data, and possible legal prosecution, the Jerusalem Post reports.
According to the head of the unit, the system makes it possible to quickly determine whether Israeli military personnel are in an emergency area abroad. It applies to active-duty and career service members, generals, and the Chief of the General Staff.
Monitoring routes and travel
One area of work has been the analysis of international flight routes that may be dangerous due to the risk of a forced landing or transit through hostile states. Together with Israel’s National Security Council, the military identified flights that personnel are not allowed to use.
Military personnel were provided with an application in which they can specify their entire travel route, including connections, and receive threat warnings as well as operational security and cyber protection recommendations. The unit also analyzes situations in which information about an active-duty or career service member’s departure does not enter the system automatically.
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The attack on supporters of Tel Aviv’s Maccabi football club in Amsterdam in November 2024 prompted the expansion of monitoring. The head of the unit said that it then became clear that a significant number of military personnel were in the Netherlands, but the military had no prior information about this, including because they had traveled overland from other countries.
Risks of disclosing personal data
The unit also oversees rules for publishing the names and ranks of commanders and officials in order to reduce the risk of their identification and prosecution outside Israel. Particular attention is paid to campaigns involving the publication of personal data, as well as information that military personnel or reservists leave on social media and professional profiles.
According to the head of the unit, reservists who have completed their service and travel abroad as civilians are not required to inform the military of their whereabouts. At the same time, if complaints are filed or there are intentions to file them against reservists, the military coordinates actions with the ministries of justice and foreign affairs.
The head of the unit also reported risks of espionage and physical attacks against military personnel and officials. According to him, intentions to carry out attacks on senior officials had been identified in Israel before they developed into direct attack attempts.
