Iran’s threat is still very “real,” and Israel must overhaul its post–October 7 security doctrine to prioritize active defense and preemptive action, said retired admiral Eliezer “Chayni” Marom, a former Israel Navy commander and member of the IDF General Staff Forum, in an interview with 103FM on Monday morning.
Marom said Israel long relied on an unwritten cycle of early warning and decisive victory, mobilizing reserves to defeat the enemy when needed. He noted that a defensive leg was added before October 7, but it was not stable. Given Israel’s small size and the lack of warning time for border communities, he argued that reactive defense alone is insufficient.
He said Israel cannot remain behind the border and wait for threats to grow on the other side, including from a third-ring state such as Iran. “We will have to respond offensively to such events,” he said.
Marom added that since October 7, Israeli forces have operated beyond the border line and that home-front defense must change accordingly. “We will no longer defend from the rear for the communities. There will be a perimeter,” he said, emphasizing forward presence and buffers to protect civilians.
Iran’s ballistic missiles and the need for repeated strikes
Addressing Iran’s ballistic capabilities, Marom said Israel destroyed a significant portion of launchers, but the threat persists. He said Iran planned barrages of 500–600 ballistic missiles but failed due to Israel’s combination of offense and defense, although some missiles penetrated and caused damage.
He warned that a large-scale barrage would “hit Israel hard,” kill many, disrupt the economy, and halt flights. “We have no choice. If we sit and wait, this threat will grow,” he said, adding that complacency about degraded Iranian air defenses would recreate a dangerous “conceptzia.”
“The method of early warning and decisive victory no longer works. We need active defense,” Marom said. He cautioned that recent years in Gaza and Lebanon showed recurring rounds, while Iran itself was not openly at war with Israel. He said Tehran suffered heavy blows and has not restored its nuclear project, but is heavily focused on rebuilding its ballistic missile force.
“We must avoid outdated assumptions and keep pressure on Iranian capabilities while maintaining offensive and defensive readiness in parallel,” he said.