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Initial Lessons from the Gaza War

(Jerusalem Strategic Tribune) Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror - Combined arms operations have peeled off Hamas defensive layers and the IDF now operates in the urban core of Gaza City. Nowhere has Hamas succeeded in pushing back IDF advances. Two weeks into the ground campaign, Hamas' ability to launch rockets has been significantly degraded. In the future, Israel will need to deploy larger forces to protect its borders. Being permanently ready for the "worst possible scenario" will alter the IDF's planning assumptions for border defense. It is wrong to argue that too much money has been spent on technology. It turns out that technology is vital for the IDF's success. This includes the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Trophy active protection system for armored vehicles, and the unmanned aerial vehicles which accompany troops and provide tactical intelligence and "around-the-corner" fire cover. Threats are effectively eliminated that once would have exacted heavy losses in similar situations. Technology also repays its investment in offense, with tools enabling commanders to concentrate great and accurate firepower to remove obstacles. Israel must seriously weigh preventive action to push away the buildup of military capabilities which threaten it - not only in terms of the nuclear threat but also the removal of acute conventional threats. A small country such as Israel, surrounded by many threats, must occasionally embark on a preventive war. This was the one measure that could have prevented the catastrophe of Oct. 7. But it would not have been seen as legitimate either at home or abroad. The writer was national security adviser to the Israeli prime minister and chairman of Israel's National Security Council.
2023-11-17 00:00:00
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