Israeli Generals Concerned About 'Iranian Allies, Not Nuclear Bomb'

Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's persistent and serious warnings against the nuclear agreement with Iran, Israeli military commanders consider 'Iranian-aligned militia groups' to be a 'more serious threat.' According to a Reuters report on May 5, among these armed groups, 'Hezbollah' is viewed as the most dangerous. This group managed to halt Israeli attacks during the 2006 war and has since enhanced its military capabilities and gained more experience by participating in the Syrian civil war. Ram Ben-Barak, the Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Security, accused the Iranian government of seeking 'bases and allies' from Syria and Yemen to the Sinai Peninsula and Palestinian territories. He described Hezbollah as an enemy as powerful as the armies of Arab countries during the 1967 and 1973 wars between Arabs and Israel. During a conference organized by an Israeli defense publication, Ben-Barak stated, 'Today, the only group that can surprise us with its attacks in various dimensions is Hezbollah.' Israeli defense officials believe that Hezbollah possesses over 100,000 missiles that could paralyze the civilian infrastructure of Israel. The Israeli army has threatened to 'destroy' southern Lebanon in the event of another large-scale battle with Hezbollah. Syrian and Lebanese sources report that Israeli aircraft are regularly patrolling parts of these two countries. The goal of these operations, aside from identifying military movements, is to discover and, if possible, destroy weapons being sent to Hezbollah. The airstrike on January 18 of this year in the Golan Heights, which killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general and several Hezbollah operatives, indicates that Hezbollah has established a second front near the border with Jordan, Israel's security ally. Ram Ben-Barak stated, 'Hezbollah's presence and activities in the Golan Heights will pose a significant problem for Israel in the future.' Reuters quoted two Western diplomats monitoring Israeli military activities, stating that the Israeli army is currently very busy maintaining security along the Lebanon and Syria borders. One diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, added, 'In my opinion, neither side is currently seeking confrontation, but there is a risk that the current situation could spiral out of control.' General Herzi Halevi, head of Israeli military intelligence, during his visit to Washington in March, coinciding with the final days of the previous round of nuclear negotiations between global powers and Iran, urged the U.S. government to pay attention to the possibility of escalating tensions in the region. One American official hosting General Halevi said, 'His concern was about the military threats from groups like Hezbollah, the Houthi Shiites in Yemen, and the IRGC's extraterritorial units in Syria.' The Israeli government has deemed the ongoing negotiations between Iran and global powers as insufficient and condemned them.