DF build-up continues in Gaza sector. More Hamas rockets expected this week..........
As both sides gird up for a showdown, [whether or not it will take place is anyone’s guess, given the dense blackout of secrecy on the enemy’s intentions,] the build up of armoury continues on the Gaza border.
When Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned home from a visit to Washington, which he cut short after a Hamas rocket hit a home in the Sharon region, he went straight into a conference with Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi and top security officials.
Their most pressing concern was how to get around the stumbling block of Hamas’ March of Return anniversary, which the Palestinian terrorist organization means to celebrate to the full, meaning a larger than ever mass onslaught on the Gaza border and the IDF military defenders this coming Friday.
After that, Hamas may – or may not – be more accommodating on terms for a ceasefire,but not before.
Intelligence reaching sources from the Gaza Strip indicate:
1. Hizballah is contemplating limited or token action against Israel as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorists.
2. Hiamas’ political leadership is deeply divided on whether or not to continue its rocket offensive against Israel.
Israel’s decision-makers also appear to be at cross-purposes.
One school of thought advises taking advantage of the controversy in the Hamas leadership to strengthen the “moderates.”
The opposite side argues that Hamas is setting a trap for the IDF. They say that Hamas leaders want the breather they would gain from a phony ceasefire in order to then catch Israel off guard.
Israel was indeed caught napping by the Hamas rocket fired at Tel Aviv on March 14 and again on March 25, when a home in the Sharon town of Mishmeret, 120km from Gaza, took a direct rocket hit.
Israel’s leaders and generals must on no account be lured once again by Egyptian assurances that this time, Hamas is really, really turning over a new leaf and has committed to a truce.
Lieutenant General Kochavi leads the second camp which refuses to be taken in again by Hamas’ wiles.
He is preparing the IDF for combat in the Gaza sector that could last some days.. During the conference with Netanyahu in his capacity as defence minister, Kochavi issued the order to continue boosting the forces massing on the Gaza border and mobilizing reservists.
Reliable military sources report that it still could not be said with certainty that the Israeli government and high command were decided on their next step, when the decision was taken out of their hands by another Hamas rocket fired Tuesday night against the Eshkol district.
This rocket drove home the harshness of their dilemma.
No serious offensive can be conducted against Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza without exposing large parts of the country beyond the immediate Gaza neighbourhood to the high risk of Palestinian rockets.
On the other hand, inaction against Hamas; armed wing, aside from air strikes on empty buildings, only whets the Palestinian terrorists’ appetite for more escalation.
Echoes of Ezekiel 38: Israel Has "No Alternative" But Force With Iran In Syria ...............
By Yaakov Lappin -
Iran could be trying to build missile factories in Syria again, according to recent reports, raising the possibility of further Israeli pre-emptive action.
The Israeli commercial satellite company ImageSat International (ISI) published images this month showing suspicious activity at a compound in Safita in northwest Syria.
"The construction patterns, the compound location and the activity signs at the compound and its region increase the probability that this is a missiles manufacturing site," ISI assessed.
Israel remains committed to the use of force to pre-emptively disrupt Iran's force build-up program in Syria. For now, according to Major General (retired) Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser, that policy has "no alternative."
"I'm not sure they [the Iranians] are manufacturing missiles in Syria, but if it is true, then this determination stems from the fact that the matter is very important to the Iranians," Amidror told JNS.
Russia, which continues to lead the pro-Assad regime coalition, "will not fight Israel's wars," said Amidror. "So long as our manoeuvres and those of the Iranians do not destabilize [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's rule, the Russians have no reason to intervene."
According to the report by ISI, the site in northwest Syria has the same "construction visual patterns" that can be found in sites in Iran that produce surface-to-surface missiles.
"The site is located only eight kilometres from the border with Lebanon, in an area controlled by the Syrian regime and in the vicinity of the Russian surface-to-air deployments," the company noted.
"During the last months, buses and vans were detected in the site entrance within the securely fenced compound. It appears that the workers use buses and vans as in a military facility common pattern. Also, a new water tower was recently built. Those two findings indicate that the compound is active and under development," it stated.
In addition, nearby to the compound, satellite imagery revealed "massive and extensive trails" that probably belong to heavy vehicles like mobile missile launchers, it assessed.
Emily Landau, head of the Arms Control and Regional Security Program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said Israel stands by itself in its battle to prevent Iranian weapons proliferation and military build-up to its north.
"Israel has been left alone to deal with weapons transfers and missile factories, even though as far as Hezbollah is concerned, Iran is blatantly violating U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," she said.
Last month, Israel's Channel 12 said in a report that despite Iranian and Syrian attempts to hide the site, "this information has been documented by Israeli intelligence elements."
Iran's takeover attempts have run into difficulties in the form of hundreds of airstrikes, the report noted. "Nevertheless, the Syrians and Iranians find creative ways to supply the needed equipment to Lebanon," said Landau.
The report noted that Iran and Hezbollah have, in recent years, engaged in an effort to set up precision missile-production sites inside Lebanon as well.
"Where is the international community on this?" asked Landau. [Have you come to take a spoil”?]
Looking ahead, Landau said Israel will likely "continue to carry out operations against Iranian assets in Syria and transfers to Hezbollah, but it is hard to say whether this will encourage Iran to stop or to step up its efforts. The international community is happy to leave this to Israel, but its indifference must be highlighted and challenged."
With Russia playing a dominant military and strategic role in Syria, "Israel has no choice but to coordinate its military action in Syria with Russia, as the U.S. is signalling it is not interested in being directly involved," she noted. "But it is a delicate balancing actbecause of the importance of Israel's relationship with the U.S."
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