A senior Israeli general on Monday confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are training for a full-scale war with Syria, and that plans have been laid for a swift victory. But in the event of a conflagration, will Israel’s leadership allow those plans to be implemented?
According to Maj.-Gen. Eyal Ben-Reuven, who served as deputy commander of Israel’s northern forces during last summer’s war, the new battle plan calls for a rapid and overwhelming ground invasion of Syria.
The reason the IDF wants as many boots on the ground in Syria as quickly as possible is because in a war scenario, Syria is expected to try to demoralize Israel by hitting its population centers with hundreds of ballistic missiles.
Ben-Reuven noted that Syria itself would be unconcerned by mass military or civilian casualties, but would certainly try to play on Israel’s sensitivity to civilian losses.
So the army has what sound like solid plans in place, and the troops are preparing to implement them should the need arise. The question is, does the political echelon have the guts to let the IDF do its thing if the predictions of war by a wide array of military experts prove accurate?
My feeling is that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is too afraid of a repeat of last summer’s failures to respond with any great force to low-level cross-border provocations by Syria. I also see Olmert as being way too controlling to let the IDF brass run the show their way.
However, this time around Ehud Barak is in the picture, and he needs a big military victory in order to boost his chances of beating Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu in future national elections.
Barak can likely be expected to leverage his Labor Party’s participation in the government to force Olmert to give him free reign as defense minister. And, as I noted above, Barak needs a military victory, and so is probably ready to go to war.
Barak is also a military man - in fact, he is Israel’s most decorated soldier ever - and as such will hopefully understand the wisdom behind the army’s plans.
Enjoy the article? Subscribe to our email updates
8 comments so far ↓
1 Charles // Jul 18, 2007 at 1:44 am
Take out Damascus or where that Long Necked Monkey Assad is hiding with something serious . That will take the starch out of their drawers . Hamas and Hezbollah will digress .
2 Marsha Carol Watson // Jul 18, 2007 at 4:25 am
At least, it seems Barak seems to have “intestinal fortitude” and would fight to win and defeat Syria….that is more than can be said for E. Olmert….
Israel must get the Victory over her enemies…..If not now—WHEN?
What you do not conquer will conquer you…..Israel must come out Victorious……They should have pulled out all of the “stops” last summer and won a decisive Victory, instead of playing around. It only served to make them appear weak and unable to fight to win anything…..Woe to Ehud Olmert…..
3 Joyce // Jul 18, 2007 at 5:55 am
Israel should not allow the same thing to happen with Syria, as they did with Hezbollah. As Marsha said, they need to have a decisive victory over Syria. And if this Ehud Barak can do it, then Olmert should let him. And that also means, that Olmert should not allow any pressure from Bush, to stop them from achieving a total victory.
4 Nathan // Jul 18, 2007 at 6:59 am
If Syria really used “hundreds of ballistic missiles” against Israeli population centers there would be some Jericho II’s launching from Tel Nof airbase towards Damascus. One missile alone can carry a 1 megaton warhead capable of producing complete destruction within a 7 - 10 mile radius. So have at it Syria. The only way Israel can lose this war is if she has her missiles offline this summer. Barak is the man and he has a plan so do not fear Israel. And also Syria is not going to sacrifice the wrath of the United Nations and Euro-wimps and USA and China and Soviets, starting a real conventional war is serious business folks and people rush all the time and assume it will happen. WW3 USA/NATO vs. Soviets never happened… That little monkey bastard Assad only knows how to be an eye doctor and his fathers many failures! ahahahahahah.
5 FRANK // Jul 20, 2007 at 4:24 pm
“The oracle concerning Damascus. “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city, and it will become a fallen ruin.” Isaiah 17:1 Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and this has not happened in the past…so standby folks, I believe we are about to witness prophesy being fulfilled!!!
6 Marsha Carol Watson // Jul 21, 2007 at 7:04 am
Honestly, ya’ll: I know this sounds a little ridiculous—but it seems to me that Ehud Olmert doesn’t have sense enough to “punch his way out of a paper bag…” He is a terrible disgrace to the Nation and People of Israel.
I do not wish him anything bad, but he needs to get himself a night job, because he is not qualified for his day job…..and after he finishes all the messes he is making…..no one will want to hire him for any position! I don’t believe he is going to be able to call in enough favors to put food on his table for his family………………………….
7 kimuli innocent // Jul 21, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I can see many people are for war, but as for me i think if there are any other ways to solve the confilct that is the best way to go and save the lives of innocent people.
8 Marsha Carol Watson // Jul 21, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I want you all to forgive me for the post I posted earlier…It was ugly and most unkind….The Lord convicted me of it and I have repented of my ugly attitude….It is just that I am so angy with Prime Minister Olmert. I have prayed he would come to see the truth and act to protect the nation and people of Israel…..I have seen no results…..I have prayed the people would “unelect him” and place, if possible, Benjamin Netanyahu into the Prime Minister’s position, because I KNOW he will protect Israel….
I am praying that Israel will elect a Prime Minister that will have the wisdom and the courage to not be influenced by any leader from any other nation in the world that would put Israel into a place of compromise and grave danger. A man, or even a woman (I am remembering now Golda Meir) who will STAND, even if they have to stand alone, even if they have to “pull out all of the stops” to secure Israel, and to regain its God-given Land.
Leave a Comment