Prime Minister Netanyahu's National Security Doctrine

On October 18, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a national security doctrine outlining Israel’s strategic priorities following the October 7, 2023, attack and the ensuing war across multiple fronts. Issued under the Prime Minister’s Office and National Security Council, the document emphasized preventing emerging threats, maintaining military superiority, strengthening civilian defenses, and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. 

In its introduction, Netanyahu credited Israel’s military campaign from Gaza to Yemen and from Lebanon to Iran with averting an imminent threat of nuclear annihilation and breaking the Iranian axis’s encirclement of Israel. The document argued that the war required updating Israel’s traditional security approach, prioritizing prevention and offensive action over containment and defense. It also called for consolidating Israel’s standing as a regional power, preserving its technological advantage, and expanding regional and international alliances.

The doctrine divided major threats into weapons and technological threats, and strategic arenas. The former included nuclear weapons, drones originating within Israel and abroad, precision missiles, cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, illegal weapons inside Israel, unmanned maritime and aerial vehicles, and rapidly evolving weapons systems. The latter included the Shiite axis and the Muslim Brotherhood; convergence among hostile axes; terrorism and internal security threats; delegitimization and isolation from allies; and threats along Israel’s northern, eastern, and western borders. 

Its overarching principle was that Israel must remain ahead of its adversaries in military capabilities. It rejected a policy of merely containing enemy attacks and military buildup and warned against relying on adversaries’ intentions, which could change rapidly. It argued that Israel’s security should rest on superior capabilities.

The first four of ten guiding principles addressed nuclear prevention, deterrence, intelligence warning, and military initiative. The doctrine called for preventing adversaries from acquiring nuclear weapons, including through proactive offensive action. Deterrence would rest on a credible capacity for massive, precise firepower and for disrupting military and civilian systems. Continuous, effective intelligence about adversaries’ capabilities and intentions was intended to prevent surprise. The IDF and security services were to cultivate initiative, deception, and critical thinking throughout, including readiness for a surprise preventive strike.

Defense combined repelling border invasions, establishing buffer zones where necessary, protecting the home front against internal and external attacks, preparing for surprise attacks and drones, and maintaining readiness for war. Alliances were presented as another pillar, with Israel encouraged to increase its value to partners to advance regional and international cooperation.

The doctrine linked technology and independent force development to reducing reliance on outside actors. The doctrine called for greater independence in weapons and munitions, expanded domestic research, development, and production, and stronger capabilities in quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, space, and other strategic fields. It also called for a significant increase in the defense budget.

Another principle addressed the struggle over public perception. It called for developing capabilities, including artificial intelligence, for an information campaign against Iran and other hostile states, alongside an international campaign against anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Victory was defined as breaking the enemy’s strength and its belief that it could pose a tangible threat to Israel.

The final principle, the national spirit, linked security to national cohesion and shared foundational commitments. These included Israel’s identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people, democratic government, willingness to fight for the country’s security and pursue victory, independent thinking, settlement of the Land of Israel, Jewish heritage, ties with Diaspora Jewry, and encouragement of aliyah.