Israel is preparing a sweeping new plan to fortify its long eastern frontier with Jordan, aiming to close one of the country’s most exposed security gaps before Iran and its proxies can turn it into the next active front.

The border stretches roughly 186 miles and has long been treated as Israel’s quiet side. That assumption has changed. After the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, Israeli officials began reassessing whether other “quiet” borders could be tested in a similar way. The conclusion now driving policy in Jerusalem is blunt, Israel cannot afford an underpopulated, lightly protected eastern flank while Iran works to surround the Jewish state through terrorist proxies.

The government is advancing a multibillion-shekel master plan involving the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Settlement and National Missions. The plan would not rely only on fences, sensors and troops. It would also bring thousands of new families to the Jordan Valley and surrounding areas, expand existing communities, establish national mission hubs and create agricultural-security farms near strategic points, including around former military outposts.

The Defense Ministry has already begun building parts of a separate eastern border barrier. That project is expected to include a smart, multilayered system with fencing, sensors, radars, cameras, communications and command infrastructure running from the southern Golan Heights toward the Arava north of Eilat.

The urgency is not theoretical. Israeli security forces have repeatedly exposed weapons-smuggling routes from the Jordanian frontier into Judea & Samaria, including networks moving pistols, rifles and ammunition toward Palestinian terrorists. Israeli planners are also watching Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Houthi-linked elements in Yemen, fearing that Tehran could eventually try to use Jordanian territory as a corridor for infiltration or a coordinated ground assault.

The new concept revives one of Israel’s oldest security doctrines, presence on the ground is part of defense. Officials argue that no military can place a soldier every few meters across a border this long, especially in difficult terrain. Communities, farms, outposts, rapid-response teams and military infrastructure would form overlapping layers, making it harder for smugglers, terrorists or Iran-backed forces to exploit empty space.

The eastern border was once seen as a back door. Israel is now moving to lock it before the enemy reaches for the handle.