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Questions and Answers following the Northern Crisis

(Jerusalem Post) Lt. Col. (res.) Reuven Ben-Shalom - Q: Doesn't the downing of an Israeli jet deliver a devastating blow to Israel? A: No. Just as a downed American jet in Afghanistan or a Russian jet in Syria are viewed as an inevitable, inherent part of war, so is it with Israel. Israeli aerial dominance is overwhelming and impressive. We have state-of-the-art detection and deflection systems, and carry out missions wherever necessary throughout the Middle East. But nothing is foolproof. Q: Wasn't targeting the Iranian ground station overdoing it? A: No. This is totally consistent with Israeli doctrine - if you target Israel you will be targeted back. Not only were we able to detect and intercept a small UAV, but we knew exactly where it was launched from and who was controlling it. The fact that we had this information and were able to act on it and strike these components deep inside Syria demonstrates an incredible operational capability. So, Iran's message has been answered with a message of our own. The writer served in the IDF for 25 years as a helicopter pilot and in various international relations positions in the General Staff.
2018-02-12 00:00:00
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