(Ha'aretz) Yaniv Kubovich - According to Israeli intelligence assessments, after removing its presence in Syria west of Damascus due to Israeli airstrikes, Iran moved its forces to the Syria-Iraq border, to areas under total Iranian control, where it set up infrastructure for moving forces and weapons between Iraq and Lebanon. An Israeli intelligence official said Iran "transferred there missiles that can hit anywhere in Israeli territory, and can move them through a smuggling route to even closer positions. [Iran] is establishing a system of drones and cruise missiles and military industries it could not sustain in the Damascus area." According to intelligence assessments, the possibility that the U.S. will reenter the nuclear accord with Iran and ease the sanctions on it could embolden Iran's Revolutionary Guards to take risks in operations against Israel and other states. A senior defense official said that if the U.S. returns to the nuclear deal, "The Iranians might understand it to be a green light to keep doing anything non-nuclear."
2021-01-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive