Just before he finished his term as chief of staff of the Israel occupation army, Gadi Eisenkot went to war against the military ombudsman, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brik, who had written a harsh report saying the military wasn’t prepared for the next war, according to Haaretz.
“In September 2018, in an unusual step, Eisenkot sent all the members of the security cabinet and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee a letter.”
“As the person responsible for the military’s preparedness for war, I declare that the IDF is ready for every mission demanded of it, a military with intelligence and air superiority, a ground capability, and one with rich operational experience that meets the test daily in all arenas of war,” Eisenkot wrote, according to the Israeli paper.
“He said similar things at his farewell ceremony at the beginning of this year, with the new chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, at his side. In July at the Herzliya Conference, Eisenkot said that ‘the IDF has the most advanced capabilities in the world and unequivocal military superiority within a radius of 2,000 kilometers from Israel’ – 1,240 miles.”
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the defense minister, also takes pride in Israel’s achievements in the battle against Iran’s military entrenchment in the Middle East. But the wind has shifted recently. In his speech at the swearing-in of the new Knesset early last month, Netanyahu sounded more worried than ever.”
“This is not spin and not a whim …. Iran is arming, strengthening, its audacity is growing. This reality requires us to strengthen and arm.”
Haaretz added that Netanyahu said that the Israeli army needs “defensive and offensive means of a scope, power and quality that we haven’t had before.”
“This will require many billions more in the defense budget. On Thursday, at the graduation ceremony for the Ground Forces’ officers training course. We are prepared for the threats.”
“It seems that senior defense officials, who until recently emphasized the IDF’s preparedness and the enemy’s weakness, have adopted Netanyahu’s line. Last week Kochavi said the threats against ‘Israel’ were getting worse.”
“On the northern and southern fronts the situation is tense and fragile and could deteriorate into a conflict, even though our enemies aren’t interested in a war,” he said, “Such a situation requires the IDF to launch a process of accelerated preparedness.”
Another senior defense official described an even gloomier picture when he warned in a closed forum that if ‘Israel’ doesn’t immediately begin a process of strengthening itself, the IDF might lose its qualitative advantage, according to Haaretz.
“Hezbollah is getting stronger and Israel and Tehran are already in direct conflict, even if not on the battlefield, the official said. The existing budget won’t be adequate for the foreseeable threats from Iran, senior defense officials have warned recently.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website
