Israel reactivates dozens of Jordan Valley bases and reports more than 20 thwarted smuggling attempts

Israel has moved to tighten security along its border with Jordan by reactivating and positioning military outposts across the Jordan Valley, according to the Israel Defense Forces unit overseeing the area. In a report published July 6, Fox News said IDF Division 96 has thwarted more than 20 smuggling attempts this year while expanding its posture across front-line bases in the Jordan Valley, an area adjacent to Jordan and located in Area C of Judea and Samaria, where Israel says it retains security control.

The report describes Division 96 as a force formed after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack against southern Israel, when Israel said it reassessed threats emanating from multiple directions, including attempts to move weapons, narcotics, and people toward Israel. Fox News said the division now oversees border-security operations across military outposts positioned along the Jordan Valley border.

According to the report, Israel’s reactivation effort includes 45 military bases that have been brought back into service as part of the current security posture. An IDF spokesperson quoted by Fox News characterized the Jordan-Israel border as a “peace border” while adding that there is ongoing strategic competition over Jordan. The spokesperson said Iran’s regime understands the border’s “peaceful” status can provide a “strategic advantage for any of our enemies who want to be there,” a framing the IDF used to justify increased watchfulness despite the existence of a 1994 peace agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in comments cited by Fox News that the region remains under a “highly fragile ceasefire,” and that a paused peace process should not give hostile actors room to advance nuclear ambitions. Fox News presented Netanyahu’s remarks as part of the backdrop for Israel’s security steps, tying the practical expansion of border defenses to broader concerns about Iran-linked threats.

Fox News said the IDF granted its journalists exclusive access to military bases it described as frontlines in countering threats that include weapons and narcotics smuggling, as well as illegal entry of Palestinians seeking work in Israel. The report also asserted that Iran is seeking a new “terror path” through the region, describing Israel’s efforts as directed at preventing diversion of illicit flows toward communities near the border and at limiting avenues for armed movement.

In practical terms, the Israeli actions reported this week focus on monitoring, interdiction, and control of border routes along the Jordan Valley, where Israel says the stakes include public safety and disruption of illicit supply lines. The IDF’s account also indicates the role of persistent surveillance and outpost readiness, with the division tasked to operate across multiple base locations rather than relying on a single barrier.

No independent figures were provided in the Fox News report to verify the number of smuggling attempts beyond the IDF’s statements as presented by the outlet. Still, if the reported operational tempo and outpost expansion reflect the IDF’s ongoing assessment, Israel’s next steps would likely involve continued adjustments to staffing, patrol patterns, and rules for interdiction at border points covered by Division 96.

Key developments in the report, such as Netanyahu’s warning and the IDF’s justification for increased presence, suggest that Israel is treating the Jordan Valley not only as a stable diplomatic boundary with Jordan but also as a security perimeter influenced by broader regional competition, including Iran-linked efforts cited by Israeli officials. The reported reactivation timeline and the creation of Division 96 after Oct. 7, 2023 place the current measures in the context of a longer-running Israeli security campaign aimed at preventing weapons and terrorist movement toward Israel.