Former Intelligence Chief to Israelis: "Better Think Twice About Traveling Abroad"
What grim speculation about Iran attacking says about how Israelis think.
Speculating on Israeli TV about the situation with Iran, former Chief of Israeli Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin said that he would “think twice” about flying this weekend.
First, this is speculation. But second, as an Israeli I want to underline the thinking, because it may seem a little counter intuitive. Let’s dig into it.
First things first: the warning. Yadlin has since clarified, or more accurately, expanded on, his comments. In a follow up post on X, he wrote:
“Getting a lot of questions and reactions about this morning’s interview with Niv Raskin on Channel 12
For those who don’t have 12 minutes to listen to the full interview, here’s a summary of the interview.
So what did I actually say?
I presented a model of six parameters that increase the likelihood of an attack on Iran:
1. After the National Security Council convenes
2. After the Winter Olympics conclude
3. The aircraft carrier Gerald Ford approaching the region
4. If no negotiations are set to begin within the next two weeks
5. Renewal of the demonstrations (in Iran) would raise the probability of an attack
6. And the weather needs to be suitable…
Bottom line – my model shows that the situation is heating up, without a specific forecast for one day or another.”
Read into that what you will. But Israelis are, as they have been for many weeks now, living a dual existence: carrying on with daily life and also preparing for what might come if Iran is struck and if Israel is under attack. So why would Yadlin have stressed staying home at a time of danger?
The counterintuitive Israeli instinct
For many people, hearing of a potential attack or war situation, the instinct is to get out while you can. A very Israeli instinct is often the opposite
That’s not bravado. Rather, the fear isn’t so much “What if something happens at home?” but more “What if my people are going through it and I’m not there?”
Israelis don’t romanticize war, but they refuse to be uprooted by it
This is the part that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived here.
Israelis are not looking for danger. Parents worry. Kids get scared. People get exhausted. The trauma is real. But there’s also a deeply ingrained stance that life here is not conditional on perfect safety, because it never has been.
So the question is rarely, “How do I escape this?”
More often, it’s “How do we hold together through it?”
You see it in the tiny things: people show up to work, volunteer, check on neighbors, deliver food, donate blood, adopt displaced families, do reserve duty, and keep weddings on the calendar.
Not because anyone is “fine,” but because endurance is a form of defiance.
After October 7, 2023, the world saw something extraordinary. Israelis abroad didn’t just watch events unfold on screens. Many dropped everything and tried to get back.
Israel mobilized roughly 360,000 reservists in the immediate aftermath, one of the largest call-ups in its history.
And alongside that mobilization was the human wave: Israelis overseas scrambling for flights to return and report, often at personal and financial cost.
That instinct doesn’t only show up with soldiers. It shows up with civilians too. When travel becomes uncertain, Israel repeatedly ends up running some version of “get our people back.”
For example, in mid-2025, Israel launched Operation “Safe Return” style repatriation efforts when large numbers of Israelis were stuck abroad. Estimates in reporting ranged up to 100,000–150,000 Israelis abroad needing routes home, by air and sea, with a significant share actively trying to return.
That’s the psychology Yadlin’s comment taps into: not panic, but the fear of being outside when you feel you need to be inside.
Between October 2023 and March 2024, about 8,900 Israelis moved back to Israel (returning residents), even during the war’s most acute early phase.
Large numbers of Jews also chose to move to Israel, making Aliyah after October 7, 2023; one widely reported figure was roughly 35,000 since the massacre (at least in the first stretch after the attack).
Those aren’t just statistics. They’re a window into mindset: even when it’s hard, even when it’s scary, a lot of people’s definition of “safety” includes being home, even when home is not fully “safe”.
Why Israelis want to be here when it’s hardest
If you ask Israelis why they want to be in Israel during conflict, you’ll hear variations of the same themes:
1) Family and responsibility
This is a small country. A crisis rarely stays “over there.” It’s your cousin’s unit, your child’s school, your neighbor’s son, your community.
2) National cohesion feels tangible
Israelis argue all year. Then, in moments like these, the country can snap into a different mode: practical unity. Not perfect unity, but purposeful.
3) Being “stuck abroad” feels like helplessness
When flights stop, it’s not just an inconvenience. It can feel like abandonment, even if no one is “at fault.” That’s why “think twice about flying” lands emotionally.
4) Resilience is cultural muscle memory
Israel has trained for emergencies for decades. Sirens, shelters, Home Front Command alerts, mutual aid networks. None of this makes danger acceptable, but it changes the social response to danger.
The point isn’t fearlessness. It’s belonging.
When people say Israelis are “tough,” it can sound like a movie trailer. The truth is more human.
Israelis are tough because they have to be, but they’re also tender. Grief sits close to the surface. What you see in wartime isn’t a society that doesn’t feel. It’s a society that feels, and still chooses to show up.
So yes, Yadlin’s comment is speculation. But the logic behind it is very Israeli.
If trouble is brewing, many Israelis don’t ask, “Where can I go?”
They ask, “Where do I need to be?”
And for most of us, the answer is the same: here.
To explore similar themes, read ISResilience: What Israelis Can Teach The World by Michael Dickson and Dr. Naomi L. Baum, which is out now. To purchase the hardcover, softcover or audiobook, click here here to order on Amazon or you can click here for all other available global stores.
