|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-905317
Israeli Defense Officials: Must Maintain Security Zone in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria
(Jerusalem Post) Yonah Jeremy Bob - Top current and former Israel defense officials across the political spectrum believe the country must maintain some kind of security zone in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria for years to come. While a majority are willing to withdraw to a smaller security zone in Gaza, they say the exact percentage is less important than keeping the high ground in each sector of the Strip. For example, the area around Shejaia requires the IDF to be deep into Gaza to maintain a useful buffer zone, whereas in Rafah, the military could control much less territory and still have an excellent vantage point to prevent any Hamas attempt to push into Israel. In northern Gaza, there are ridges and hills from Netiv Haasara on the Israeli side which straddle parts of Beit Hanoun and other areas, which need to remain under Israeli control. These officials would insist on keeping such a zone for many years because they do not believe Gazan society is likely to change its hostile attitude toward Israel. Moreover, a majority of Israeli defense officials have little faith that the Lebanese army taking control of "pilot" areas is anything more than a public relations effort. Another broad area of consensus is for Israel to regularly perform attacks when necessary to prevent all enemies bordering Israel from increasing their capacity to threaten the country. Almost no one in the Israeli defense establishment wants to withdraw much from Syria, despite a recent push by Washington on the issue. They see how Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has treated and massacred some Syrian minority groups and believe he remains a product of al-Qaeda. They mostly believe his reluctance to attack Israel is an extended tactical delay because he has not yet fully taken control over his own territory.