In the wake of the October 7 breach of Israel’s high-tech Gaza barrier, the IDF is turning to time-tested, low-tech defensive methods. The catastrophic failure of advanced surveillance and automated systems to stop the Hamas invasion led the army to fuse modern technology with classic battlefield tactics.
A major component of this shift is a massive new barrier built by Israel along the Syrian frontier, code-named New East. According to N12 News, the project includes deep trenches, ditches, landmines, and fortified outposts, evoking the kind of physical obstacles that dominated 20th-century warfare.
These static defenses are actively reinforced by military operations and IDF ambushes inside Syrian territory, designed to deter or preempt infiltration attempts by jihadist factions or Iranian proxies.
Earlier in the war, IDF units stationed along the Lebanon border began employing low-tech methods to harden their positions. Ynet reported. Facing off against Hezbollah, Israeli troops made use of camouflage nets, sandbags, and even outdated communication equipment resistant to electronic warfare.
A senior IDF officer likened the deployment to scenes from 1960s Vietnam War films, with field commanders dusting off old equipment from IDF warehouses. To sharpen their skills, some soldiers studied 1950s military manuals to restore forgotten techniques and adapt them to modern threats.
Hybrid defense doctrine
However, this return to traditional methods extends beyond physical fortifications. The IDF has also increased the reliance on ambushes near or within hostile territory, a tactic often neglected in the drone-and-sensor era.
Notably, such low-tech approaches prioritize resilience and adaptability, emphasize early warning and proactive measures, and address vulnerabilities exposed by over-reliance on high-tech systems susceptible to sabotage or electronic disruption.
Yet this isn’t a wholesale return to the past. The IDF is blending traditional methods with cutting-edge tools, deploying drones, advanced surveillance systems, and artificial intelligence to enhance response capabilities. The result is a hybrid defense doctrine: A layered, adaptive approach combining the strengths of traditional tactics with the capabilities of 21st-century tech.
As Israel continues to adapt to a more volatile threat environment, the lesson of October 7 looms large: Even the most sophisticated systems can fail without the human element and proven field tactics. In this new era of warfare, old-school trenches may once again prove as valuable as the most advanced algorithms.