The head of Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, delivered a stark warning this week, saying that another large‑scale confrontation similar to Operation Guardian of the Walls is “only a matter of time.”

His remarks come nearly five years after the May 10–21, 2021, conflict, underscoring how little the strategic landscape has shifted since that round of fighting.

Operation Guardian of the Walls, which unfolded over 11 intense days in May 2021, saw Hamas and Islamic Jihad fire more than 4,000 rockets toward Israeli cities.