Israel threatens to strike enemies “near or far”
RAMALLAH, Palestine (North Press) – On Wednesday IsraeliMinister of Defense Benny Gantz warned that “security apparatuses are operating against whoever is trying to harm Israel, whether near or far.”
Threats were made during Gantz’s travel near the Syrian border, hours after airstrikes on Iranian-backed groups in Syria.
“We are working against our enemies on the security, political, and economic levels,” Gantz added.
Gantz was informed about the conditions on the frontlines by the commander of the military division there and the leaders of the brigades.
The coming week will not be calm in the Middle East, as there are only eight days left before President-elect Joe Biden enters the White House, according to Israeli analysts.
“Iran is still concerned about an American military strike against it ordered by outgoing President Donald Trump,” according to the analysts.
“Such a scenario doesn’t appear plausible as seen from Israel; the Israeli defense establishment is nevertheless concerned over the possibility of a miscalculation that would produce an unplanned military conflagration that could also have implications for Israel,” one analyst pointed out.
“The nervousness in Tehran has been notable for several days against the backdrop of Trump’s final days in office,” according to one of Israel’s leading media experts on military and defense issues Amos Harel.
“That also has implications on Iran’s partners and proxies, including Hezbollah and the Shi’ite militias operating in Iraq and Syria,” Harel added in a report released on Haaretz.
“The failure experienced by supporters of the American president and the condemnations following the storming of the Capitol last Wednesday actually appears to have increased the level of fear among Iranians,” he stated.
“Prior to the commotion on Capitol Hill, media in the United States reported on scenarios related to Trump’s final step in the Middle East,” the Haaretz newspaper pointed out.
Following the violent invasion by Trump supporters on Capitol Hill, speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said she had spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to ascertain that “an unstable president,” as she put it, wouldn’t be able to initiate a nuclear attack during his last days in office.
The United States, for its part, has been concerned over Iranian retaliation connected to the first anniversary of the US assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, according to Haaretz.
So far there have been no reports of Iranian attempts to respond, but Americans have deployed several aerial displays of B-52 bombers that were flown to the Persian Gulf region from their bases in the United States, and also have moved naval forces in the area, apparently for deterrent purposes.
The Israel Defense Forces, for their part, have been on a high defensive alert in recent days.
An aerial defense battery of Patriot missiles was deployed in Israel’s Eilat, and an exceptionally large presence of fighter planes has been seen in the sky over Israel, in all sectors and for a considerable portion of the day, Haaretz reported.
In Lebanon, Beirut residents have complained about frequent flights of Israel fighter planes over the capital.
Amos Harel said, “Israel appears to be prepared to halt a possible attack of missiles, rockets or drones by organizations taking orders from the Iranians.”
“The IDF is alert to threats from a number of theaters – Syria and Lebanon in the north, Iraq in the east and Yemen in the south,” he added.
The Iranian effort to deploy weapons in Syria and smuggle weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon continues.
During the past ten days, three strikes attributed to Israel took place on targets belonging to Iran-linked military, Hezbollah, and Syrian government forces, as it was reported in Haaretz.