A7News: Why Israel went public with its war on Iran

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Wednesday, Jan. 23 '19, י"ז בשבט תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. WHY ISRAEL WENT PUBLIC WITH ITS WAR ON IRAN
2. NETANYAHU WARNS OF 'DEADLY RESPONSE' TO GAZA TERROR
3. LEFT AND REFORM PUSH TO FIRE TZFAT CHIEF RABBI SHMUEL ELIYAHU
4. NAFTALI BENNETT AS DEFENSE MINISTER?
5. SYRIA'S UN ENVOY THREATENS BEN-GURION AIRPORT
6. SOLDIER WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE FROM GAZA
7. NETANYAHU ASKS IRAN: TRUE OR FALSE?
8. ORTHODOX RABBI APPOINTED TO SERVE ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE


1. WHY ISRAEL WENT PUBLIC WITH ITS WAR ON IRAN
by Yochanan Visser

Pundits and politicians in Israel tried to explain why Israel now openly talks about its military activities against Iran in Syria after the Israeli air force (IAF) again carried out a large operation against Iran-related targets in Syria.

Politicians on the left of the political spectrum in Israel think the announcements about Israeli strikes against the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps were connected to domestic politics and the upcoming elections in Israel.

"I am sorry to say it is all related to April 9 and political survival. Can someone explain to me what the benefits are of the announcements other than politics?" former IDF Chief of Staff and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe 'Boogy' Ya'alon told Army Radio (Galatz) in Israel.

In reality, however, there are other factors which play an important role in the apparent decision to abandon the long-standing Israeli policy of remaining silent about the military campaign against the Quds Force and its predominantly Shiite allies in Syria.

Let's first take a look at what happened on Monday when the IAF again carried out a series of devastating airstrikes against Iran-related targets in Syria.

The assault, which was reportedly again carried out from the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanese airspace, destroyed Iranian military facilities and Syrian air defenses throughout the country.

The so-called 'Glass House,' the headquarters of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps near el-Kisweh in the Damascus region, wasn't targeted this time since it has been empty after earlier Israeli airstrikes.

The 'Glass House' is where the covert war against Israel from Syrian soil had been overseen by Qassem Soleimani, the shrewd commander of the Quds Force, and his staff.

The Israeli assault was in retaliation for an Iranian surface-to-surface missile attack on Mount Hermon in northeastern Israel on Sunday which followed a new IAF attack on Iranian weapon storehouses near Damascus the same day.

The missile, which was launched from an area where the Quds Force wasn't supposed to be under a Russian American de-escalation agreement, was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile shield and caused no damages or casualties.

In a highly unusual move, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released extensive information about the aerial attacks and said that the operation was aimed at the Quds Force of the IRGC and the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad who is steadily turning Syria into an Iranian proxy.

Yisrael Katz, Israel's Minister of Intelligence, later told Galatz that the policy for taking on Iran in Syria had changed and that the Jewish state was now in "open confrontation" with Iran.

"This is an open confrontation with Iran. When we need to step it up, we'll step it up," Katz said while again adding that Israel would not allow the continuing Iranian entrenchment in Syria.

To understand the depth of Iran's entrenchment in Syriam one should read a new analysis published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

As happened in Lebanon, Iran is entrenching itself "not only militarily, but also politically, religiously, and culturally," according to the authors.

This is done by "purchasing real estate, changing demographics, and by developing networks of support between Damascus and the Lebanese border" the report said.

Iran is also "pushing social, religious, and economic programs designed to woo underserved and deprived communities which may not be ideologically aligned with Tehran but lack viable alternatives," the authors reported in a reference to the Sunni Arab population in Syria.

The report also dealt with the situation in southern Syria, the area along the Israeli and Jordanian border, where Iran has established military bases and security networks over the past half year and is recruiting disgruntled Sunni Arabs who were part of the opposition front against Assad during the civil war.

The authors urge the US Administration to take non-military steps to thwart the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, such as sanctions on persons who work with Iran to turn Syria into another proxy state.

Israel, from its side, has apparently decided to prepare the ground for decisive action against Iran in Syria after the Trump Administration announced it would withdraw US Special Forces from Syria and would not interfere with Israel's actions against Iran in Syria.

This explains why the Israeli government and the top brass of the IDF are now openly talking about the formerly covert war against Iran in both Lebanon and Syria

Gady Eisenkot, the now retired IDF Chief of Staff, recently revealed that the Israeli military has carried out thousands of strikes against Iran-related targets in Syria and claimed this had stopped the Iranian military build-up in the country.

Eisenkot also suggested that Iran's activities in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria were responsible for the decision not to invade the coastal enclave again after its proxies Islamic Jihad and Hamas tried to drag Israel into an all-out war at the beginning of November 2018.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier indicated that Israel could soon see a major escalation in the war against what Iran and its allies call 'the resistance front'.

This happened after the Iranian-backed pro-Assad coalition announced it had changed the rules of engagement in Syria and would now respond to every Israeli strike against Iran-related targets in the war-torn country.

Monday's events were a new indication Israel has adjusted its strategy vis a vis Iran and it has little to do with the upcoming election in the country.

The government in Jerusalem realizes that it will need the support of the international community to expand its campaign against Iran in Syria now that the Iranian axis has threatened to bomb Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and said it is ready to "eliminate" Israel via a multiple-front-war.

In this respect, it's important to understand that Iran is not only trying to heat up the northern front in Israel but is also trying to open-up fronts in Gaza and the 'West Bank' (Judea and Samaria).


2. NETANYAHU WARNS OF 'DEADLY RESPONSE' TO GAZA TERROR
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who also serves as Defense Minister, warned Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip not to escalate their conflict with Israel, a day after a sniper attack along the Gaza border left one IDF soldier wounded.

"If there is someone in Gaza who is thinking of lifting up their head, I advise them not to do it, because our response will be deadly and very painful," Netanyahu said while visiting army units during a training exercise.

Netanyahu also discussed Israel's recent strikes on Iranian forces inside of Syria.

"We are dealing appropriately with the Iranian army in Syria. The IDF is the only military in the world that is fighting Iran's army."

On Monday, Israeli forces struck Syrian and Iranian targets inside of Syria, killing 21, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Fifteen of the dead were identified as "foreign nationals", typically referring to Iranian soldiers.

Yesterday, an IDF soldier was lightly injured when a terrorist sniper operating out of the Gaza Strip shot him in the head. The soldier survived the attack with only light injuries thanks to his helmet, which stopped the bullet.

Following the attack, Netanyahu blocked the transfer of Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip.

The IDF later conducted an airstrike on a Hamas military camp in retaliation for the sniper attack.


3. LEFT AND REFORM PUSH TO FIRE TZFAT CHIEF RABBI SHMUEL ELIYAHU
by Mordechai Sones

Reform movement leader Gilad Kariv attacked Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu after the Rabbi's meeting with students of the Pri Ha'aretz yeshiva in Rechelim and attacking the detention of the boy suspected of involvement in the death of Aisha al-Rabi.

"Rabbi Eliyahu should have been dismissed from his public office a decade ago," Kariv said, "because he's a racist, and because of the serial violation of all the rules required of a public office holder. Instead, he enjoys de facto immunity from Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who refuses to take disciplinary action against him.

"Her recent announcement to the Supreme Court that she'll make do with another clarification conversation with him encourages him to continue his campaign of incitement and provides tailwind to violent and dangerous elements. It's a disgrace to the State of Israel that a person like Rabbi Eliyahu serves as a city rabbi and as a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council and it's shame to the Justice Minister who in her embarrassing silence gives a tailwind to a person like him," added the Reform Movement Director.

MK Esawi Frej (Meretz) sent a letter to the Attorney General demanding that Rabbi Eliyahu be fired immediately and put on trial for incitement.

"Enough! It's time to finally do the right thing and fire Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Rabbi of Tzfat. For Rabbi Eliyahu, it's commonplace to incite against Arabs, women, the gay community; against the legal system and who not," wrote Frig.

"But if there was one more red line that state employee Shmuel Eliyahu could cross, he crossed it when he encouraged suspects in the murder. As a civil servant, he expressed support for terrorists. Terrorism. 'What happened? What are you accused of? You threw a stone,' Eliyahu said, adding that he'd told the suspects in the murder of Aisha al-Rabi. A public figure who receives his salary from Israeli citizens, encouraging suspects in the murder. A moral low in a country that could have prevented it, but preferred to ignore all warning bells."

Frej appropriated Talmudic terminology and shouted: "Shmuel Eliyahu is an habitual offender ["Shor mued"] - an habitual racist. An habitual inciter and now also an habitual terror-supporter. Shmuel Eliyahu cannot serve another minute in a public position, and it's proper that like anyone who supports and encourages terrorism, he will be put on trial for his actions.

"I ask you to act as soon as possible. For too long the State has been dragging its feet in dealing with Inciter Rabbi Eliyahu. The time has come for action," the Muslim Meretz Knesset Member wrote in his letter to the Attorney General.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258030


4. NAFTALI BENNETT AS DEFENSE MINISTER?
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The New Right will press the next government to tap Naftali Bennett as Defense Minister, and demand that it retain the Justice Ministry portfolio, Bennett said Wednesday.

Speaking with Yediot Ahronot Wednesday morning, Education Minister and New Right chief Naftali Bennett said that either he or former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz would likely take the Defense Ministry next term – an appointment that would likely determine whether the government will adhere to right-wing principles.

"We are real, genuine right-wing," said Bennett, "we're against the establishment of a Palestinian state, against surrendering territory, opposed to freeing terrorists, and we're in favor of conservative judgeships."

"For 40 years we've voted for right-wing governments, but gotten left-wing [policies]. We have the determination to change that."

Last year, Bennett demanded Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appoint him as Defense Minister to replace Avigdor Liberman, who bolted from the government in November.

Despite an ultimatum by Bennett, Netanyahu refused, with the Jewish Home chief ultimately backing down on his threat to topple the government.

After the government subsequently moved for early elections, however, Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked left the Jewish Home party, and established the New Right (HaYamin HeHadash).

Now, at the helm of the new party, Bennett says he still hopes to secure the Defense Ministry, but expressed concern former IDF chief Benny Gantz, a newcomer to politics, could take the Defense portfolio.

"I don't have anything personal against Benny Gantz," Bennett said. "I'm talking about his positions. He symbolizes the 'stalemate strategy' under which we don't strive for victory; the idea is to safely get out of any conflict – but without winning. That approach has failed for the past 30 years."

With polls showing Gantz netting 11 to 14 mandates in the April 9th election, Bennett said the New Right hopes to secure 15 seats to ensure they take the Defense Ministry portfolio.

"We're aiming for 15 seats. We want the Defense and Justice portfolios in the next government."


5. SYRIA'S UN ENVOY THREATENS BEN-GURION AIRPORT
by Elad Benari

Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, on Tuesday threatened that if the Security Council did not act to stop the Israeli attacks on his country, Syria would have to retaliate and attack the Ben-Gurion Airport.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on the Middle East, Jaafari said that the time had come for the Council to take the necessary steps to stop the Israeli attacks.

If the UN Security Council didn't adopt measures to halt the Israeli repeated aggressions on the Syrian lands, Syria would practice "its legitimate right of self-defense and respond to the Israeli aggression on Damascus International Airport in the same way on Tel Aviv Airport," he said, in comments quoted by the official Syrian SANA news agency.

"Isn't time now for the UN Security council to stop the Israeli repeated aggressions on the Syrian Arab republic territories," continued Jaafari, who affirmed that the restoration of the Golan is a firm right for Syria which can't be negotiable or abolished through prescription.

Jaafari went on to say that the "Israeli occupation's attempts to change the status in Golan are doomed to failure and they will not affect any form of legal or sovereign right to Syria on it."

The Syrian envoy's comments follow this week's Israeli air strikes against Iranian targets in Damascus.

The attacks on Quds Force targets were carried out in response to the launching of a surface-to-surface rocket that was carried out on Sunday by Iranian Quds forces operating in Syrian territory into Israeli territory and was aimed at the northern Golan Heights. The IDF's Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted the rocket.

The targets hit by the Israeli attack included Syrian-operated air defense systems and Iranian munitions depots, an intelligence site, and an Iranian-operated military training camp.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Iran and Syria on Monday that Israel will not tolerate "acts of aggression", nor will it accept Iran's continued presence on Syrian soil.

"Last night the air force strongly attacked Iranian targets in Syria after Iran launched a missile from there at our territory," Netanyahu said.

"We will not ignore such acts of aggression as Iran attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria and given explicit statements by Iran that it intends to destroy Israel, as the commander of the Iranian air force has just said," Netanyahu continued, referring to comments by Aziz Nasirzadeh, the commander of the Iranian air force.


6. SOLDIER WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE FROM GAZA
by Arutz Sheva Staff

An IDF soldier was lightly wounded when terrorists from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip opened fire at his unit Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly before the shooting, terrorists broke through the security fence, sabotaged military equipment, and returned to the Gaza Strip. The IDF responded by firing tank shells at the Hamas position.

An IDF spokesperson stated: "An IDF tank attacked an observation post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization after an IDF officer was lightly injured in a disturbance in the southern Gaza Strip, which included the throwing of stones at IDF forces. The circumstances of the injury are under investigation."

The soldier was shot in the upper body and evacuated by ambulance to the hospital.

The IDF later released an additional statement: "Following the earlier investigation, a preliminary investigation revealed that during a riot involving stone throwing, a terrorist opened fire at IDF soldiers, one of whom was lightly injured and was evacuated to the hospital."

"In addition, five suspects approached the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. Two of the suspects crossed into Israel and returned immediately to the Gaza Strip."


7. NETANYAHU ASKS IRAN: TRUE OR FALSE?
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257988

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu filmed a message to mark forty years since the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Contrasting the cooperation between the countries and economic conditions with the current Iranian regime's hatred of Israel and broken economy, Netanyahu reiterated a message of friendship to the people of Iran, who Netanyahu called the primary victims suffering at the hands of the regime.

The prime minister ended his message with the hope that Israel and Iran will one day work together as friends again and not as enemies.


8. ORTHODOX RABBI APPOINTED TO SERVE ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE
by Marcy Oster/JTA

An Orthodox rabbi was appointed to serve in the Illinois State Legislature.

Rabbi Yehiel Kalish was sworn in to the Illinois House of Representatives on Sunday night. Kalish, 43, is the first rabbi to serve as an Illinois state representative.

"I may be the first rabbi in any state legislature. And that's very exciting," Kalish told the CBS affiliate in Chicago.

The rabbi is married and has six children.

He replaces Rep. Lou Lang, a Democrat who served in the legislature for 32 years. Lang resigned following his reelection after receiving a partnership offer from prominent lobbying firm Advantage Government Strategies. He was harmed last year by a sexual harassment allegation, though absolved of the allegations after an investigation by the Illinois Inspector General. Lang was on the three-member committee that selected Kalish from among 20 possible candidates.

Kalish will represent the Illinois House 16th District, which includes Rogers Park, Skokie, Lincolnwood and Morton Grove. Orthodox Jews comprise about 30 percent of the district, according to the Yeshiva World News.

Kalish is chief executive of S4 Group, a government affairs and business development firm that devises strategies for private companies. He also serves as a cantor for Congregation Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair in Chicago. He formerly worked for more than 10 years at Agudath Israel of America, focusing on governmental advocacy in state capitols across the country.