Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD. He is the author of three books — The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024), Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future (2021), and After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East (2019). He is the acting news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. Seth has researched and covered conflict and developments in the Middle East since 2005 with a focus on the war on ISIS, Iranian proxies, and Israel defense policy. He covers Israeli defense industry developments for Breaking Defense and previously was Defense News’ correspondent in Israel.
Description
Frantzman in his latest book, the October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza tells the story of the lead-up to the surprise attack on Oct. 7. It follows how the IDF changed its strategy and tactics, adopting cutting-edge technology, some of which failed to prevent the attack. It also tells the story of how Hamas grew from a small group in the 1990s to a murderous terrorist organization in Gaza. At the heart of the narrative is an account of how Oct. 7 unfolded, the blow-by-blow of the soldiers and civilians on the front line. We now know how undermanned the IDF positions on the border were, and investigations will eventually provide important new details about some of the key battles, such as the fight to take back Kibbutz Be’eri.
