Israel‘s fighter jets that took off late yesterday afternoon from bases in the south of the country struck Syrian territory again as they did two days ago.
Israel, which has set the diplomatic and military staffs of both Iran and the US on fire with its moves and “hiding” regarding the impending attack-response to Tehran, is again rolling out a staggered plan in the fields.
Two days ago, as well as last night, Israel struck targets in Syria. Tel Aviv has already launched its own response and does not intend to open its cards on how or by what means it will escalate yet another operation rather than a single strike. The “response” as a response this time may not be visible “to the naked eye” but that in no way changes the results that Israel is attempting – and ultimately producing – in the fields. The doctrine of its current political and military leadership has, after all, been amply demonstrated to be encapsulated in “war is not always fought in the ways we imagine.”
Israel’s plan today seems to be to uproot Iran’s entire network in countries with which Tehran has built at least 15 years of chaste relations and alliances. Assad’s Syria, and Putin’s Syria, is one of them. Tehran’s bases, and in particular those that the Revolutionary Guards along with Hezbollah members have set up inside Syria are several – large and most importantly key to supplying money and weapons to the Shiite organization in Lebanon. By hitting these points Israel is also simultaneously neutralizing systems that Iran last Tuesday appears to have activated in order to hit Israeli territory with ballistic missiles from closer range even if it revealed the locations of the missiles.
The question is when Tel Aviv finishes the first stage of this operation, which won’t be long considering that in 15 days it has wiped out Hezbollah’s leadership and succession, what the “main course” will include. It seems that even the Americans, who are pushing to ensure that Iran’s nukes are not hit and that there is no further escalation in an already out-of-control situation, do not seem to know this precisely today. But it is on this decision, that Tehran itself will be hit, that the new and important but ongoing confrontation between Netanyahu and Galad seems to be based.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Israel, exercising his constitutional right, forbade his Defense Minister from leaving for the U.S. unless he voted for the proposal Netanyahu is pushing forward. In any case, it seems that yesterday’s cabinet meeting was urgently organized mainly for Galland. Among the topics discussed appears to have been the stance of the government ally, but not party-mate, Gallant during the recent period, particularly following the chain of bombings.
The Defense Minister, who came very close to being dismissed and replaced in the Coalition Government just a month ago, now seems to have gained more than ‘Bibi’ (Netanyahu) can manage, especially within the military leadership of the country. At the same time, there are strong ‘rumors’ that Gallant has openly aligned with the U.S. proposals, suggesting that today is not a favorable time for further escalation or a full-scale war with Tehran. Netanyahu, who is evidently being pressured toward eliminating Tehran’s nuclear program, does not have the luxury of dismissing a clearly successful and highly popular minister.
Ultimately the decision will be made by Netanyahu as has happened hundreds of times over the past year. What the Israeli Prime Minister does not want is for a similar caliber of person to be next to him in charge as his far-right, nationalist partners are seen by society as expendable and have “burned out” on the role of scapegoat they served for months at the beginning especially of the crisis.
