Posted on 06/16/2007 8:55:10 PM PDT by jhpigott
Incoming Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to launch a military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, this according to unnamed sources quoted by the British Sunday Times.
The paper quotes a "senior military source" as saying that Israel would strike in response to Palestinian rocket attacks or a suicide bombing. According to the report Barak has already "demanded detailed plans to deploy two armored divisions and an infantry division, accompanied by assault drones and F-16 jets." (Ynet)
If he deploys 3 divisions of the IDF to Gaza as the report indicates, I could very easily see Hezbollah reigniting the northern front (just like they did last summer after Israel went on the offensive down in Gaza) and this time Syria may join the fray as well given some of the recent reports of redeployment of forces to the Golan.
ping
A good Barak
Don’t think that the Israeli planners have not taken this into account.
The rest of the world hates the Jews, because they tend to be successful. The world hates the US, because we are successful. They resent that they know they need us when bullies pick on their country. In the meantime, it costs nothing to foment anti-Americanism.
Iran has been playing a game of "Let's you and him fight". I think they are 1. buying time, 2. trying to make the cost of attacking Iran seem to be too high, 3. scaring the Gulf States in order for 4. completing their nuke program.
At home, President Bush is too busy attacking his base of supporters, to realize that he'll need us this summer to back Israel and take on Syria and Iran. However, having pissed on his supporters, who realize why back the President to defend America, while he's giving away America to Mexico and Big Business, he won't have the support he needs.
So, this summer it's going to be left up to Israel. Next summer Bush is going to have to threaten to nuke Iran to maintain some peace, while he waits out the clock on his term and the new President gets in. Such is the price of political stupidity and lack of communications skill in the Network Age.
“Don’t think that the Israeli planners have not taken this into account.”
The limited information I have heard about the degree to which the Lebanon incursion turned into a complete fiasco for the IDF, tell me that you should be VERY AFRAID about what the Israeli planners have or have not taken this into account.
1. If the IDF moves into Judea and Samaria (Gaza,) they will have to fight the entire population this time. I do not believe there is anyone left in Hamasistan that is not part of this.
2. Lebanon will ignite. Syria will also fire missiles. Israel will be getting hit by missile fire from all sides. I think the Islamofacists want to make Israel appear to be the aggressor. After all, these atrocities in the name of Islam are given a pass in the world media.
3. They hope to either take out the IDF armor with their new anti-tank missiles from Russia and China via Iran. If this works, they counter-attack in hopes of destroying Israel. If they get a stalemate or worse, they use the Euroweenies and the US State Dept. to get what they want.
4. A good portion of the reason is to distract while Iran finishes becoming nuclear.
I agree. Israel does know the risks. They’ve been in this game for awhile...
It is the worst idea for Israel to ever consider redeeming Gaza only to give it to Abu Mazen and fatah terrorists. The administration and the Israeli government too, seems so invested in the PA, one would have to wonder about the sanity. a PA that is rescued by Israel will never have credibility in arabia or amongst its own constituents.
Why is it always heating up around summer time again?
Could be the spark to the Great War.
The idiot muslims have gotten their asses kicked so badly and so often by the IDF, they now consider anything less than a total asskicking, a victory.
It’s truely how delusional the goat f#$kers are.
IMHO, Israel knows that a 3-front war is coming - Gaza, Lebanon & Syria. The Arabs think that because Lebanon alone bogged Israel down last summer, that all three would at the same time would inflict a serious defeat on Israel.
They’re wrong. First off, Israel messed up in Lebanon due to political decisions (and the lack of them) at critical points in that conflict. Olmert and Peretz were naive simpletons when it came to the war, and didn’t let the IDF do what it had planned to do for YEARS: land thousands of troops north of most of the Hezbollah forces via amphibious and airborne landings, combined with an armored thrust up the eastern part of Lebanon to cut of any retreat to/reinforcement from Syria. The meatgrinder from down south would chop Hezbollah to pieces; if there was war with Syria, so be it - they would have eliminated it as a threat for 20 years. Halutz, their chief of staff, was an air force general who didn’t know much about ground operations. Now 2 of those 3 incompetent boobs are gone, and Olmert will be forced (behind closed doors) to do whatever the IDF wants or the government will fall. Remember, Barak is not just Defense Minister - he’s the head of Labor, and without Labor the government falls. Barak will do whatever it takes to put himself in the PM’s chair, whether its good for Israel or not, and Olmert really has little choice but to follow (hoping that Barak fails at his endeavors-again, whether its good for Israel or not). And everyone here thinks that the Dems are a disloyal opposition....
I’m glad to see that there’s at least a hint that Israel will initiate conflict for the first time since 1967, on ITS terms. Hamas will cease to exist as a serious fighting force within 48-72 hours of the beginning of an assault, letting Israel redeploy 1 1/2-2 of those divisions to either Lebanon or Syria, should either of those fronts go hot while the Gaza operation is active. If they don’t move, Israel would have removed one of the Arab chesspieces. If they do...it’ll take longer and be bloodier, but 3 will be missing. After that, Iran will be the only serious threat to Israel via its missiles alone. Jordan will sit still, and Egypt has enough problems without losing Sinai and most of its army for a 3rd time.
“4. A good portion of the reason is to distract while Iran finishes becoming nuclear.”
Exactly. This is almost so obvious now and the world is looking the other way as it is set in motion. Iran was bound to cause some event that would push either Israel or us to a military action in the M.E.
the reason why lebanon was a fiasco for the IDF on the ground was due to the indecisiveness of the political leadership. Had the IDF been allowed to send in its armored and infantry divisions, rather than just small company sized “incursions”, Hezbollah would have been overwhelmed. Not that it wouldn’t have been bloody, but it would have been tough for Hezbollah to claim victory with multiple IDF divisons drinking out of the Litani.
“the reason why lebanon was a fiasco for the IDF on the ground was due to the indecisiveness of the political leadership.”
What I heard, from people whom I believe to be well-informed, although I cannot say for sure, had to do with basic logistical failures related to readiness for action, suggesting that the IDF, or at least the part of it that was sent into Lebanon, was something less than the “well-oiled machine” that we have come to expect the IDF to be.
I am no expert in the matter, but they seemed like the sorts of things that would not come directly from the quality, or lack thereof, of the political leadership’s decisions.
Shh. Secret.
Judea and Samaria make up the West Bank.
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