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Confronting Enemy Force Buildup: The Case of Advanced Weaponry for Hizbullah

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Amos Yadlin - According to foreign sources, Israel attacked a convoy that was to transfer advanced SA-17 ground-to-air missiles from Syria to Lebanon. Israel has a history of acting against a wide range of emerging threats. This active approach argues that ignoring force buildup and future threats may ultimately force Israel to pay a heavy price or even face an existential threat, and therefore in relevant cases it is necessary to take action to remove the potential threat, even at the risk of response and escalation. The attack against advanced weapons intended for Hizbullah clearly prevented the transfer of advanced operational capability that could have challenged Israeli aerial supremacy in a future conflict in Lebanon or ambushed reconnaissance flights essential for collecting intelligence on Hizbullah's force buildup. The transfer of Russian weapons to Hizbullah violates Syrian assurances to Russia, a vital Syrian ally. For this reason, Syria was quick to respond that the attack was carried out on a military research institute and not on a weapons convoy. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, is director of the INSS.
2013-02-08 00:00:00
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