Work began this morning (Monday) on a new security barrier along Israel’s eastern border, under the direction of Defense Minister Israel Katz.
The project, led by the Borders Directorate together with the Ministry of Defense Engineering Division and the IDF, will initially focus on valley areas, covering roughly 80 kilometers.
Alongside the field work, the Ministry of Defense and the IDF are advancing plans for additional segments and formulating the overall defense layout for the border, which stretches from the southern Golan Heights to the Samar region near Eilat.
Estimated at NIS 5.5 billion, the barrier will include a physical fence, advanced sensor arrays, radars, cameras, and IT systems-forming a “smart” border designed to meet current and future security needs.
Defense Minister Katz called the project a major strategic step: “From the moment I entered office, establishing the eastern barrier became a central mission. It will strengthen the construction of towns and villages along the border, sharply reduce arms smuggling to terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and strike at Iran and its proxies seeking to build an eastern front. I instructed that new sites be established along the fence to reinforce our hold on the area and strengthen settlement as a strategic component of national security.”
Ministry of Defense Director-General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram noted that protecting Israel’s longest border requires a broad national effort: “Defense begins with a physical barrier and redeployment of forces, but it does not end there. Together with government ministries, we are establishing a full ecosystem of settlement, employment, transport, water, agriculture, and health. The first NIS 50 million to launch the plan has been allocated in the 2026 budget, and operations will expand as construction progresses.”
Maj. Gen. Eran Ofir, head of the Borders and Seam Directorate, said work is underway in two sections: “The barrier will eventually span about 500 kilometers along the entire eastern border. It will be a smart border with a fence, sensors, radars, cameras, and advanced IT tools to address evolving operational needs. Additional crews will join in the coming months to accelerate construction.”