[Ha'aretz] Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff - The IDF's operative assumption is that during the coming summer months, a war will break out against Hizballah and perhaps against Syria as well. At the same time, the IDF does not anticipate a long life for the cease-fire achieved last Saturday with the Palestinians in Gaza. Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky has recently spoken about a war in the north in the summer in several closed military forums. The army is already undergoing an intensive process of preparation, which is based in part on lessons already learned from the second Lebanon war. Hamas is building in Gaza a southern version of Hizballah-land, and the cease-fire will enable it to increase its strength without interference, by carrying on with the arms-smuggling industry. The calm will collapse at the time most convenient for the enemy, not for Israel.
2006-12-01 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive