Defense Minister Ganz recently revealed details of an incident in 2018, during which an Iranian glider intercepted that crossed into Israeli airspace, from the T4 base in Syria.
The UAV was intended to transport explosives to terrorist organizations in the West Bank. The glider interception, which is also a type of precision weapon, was another chapter in the war against Iran's efforts to smuggle advanced weapons, through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to other terrorist groups.
According to foreign media, the number of attacks has increased significantly recently, and not a week goes by without reports of one or more clashes in Syria and the region. Most of the attacks are directed against Iranian infrastructure and forces in Syria and against attempts to transfer accurate armaments to Lebanon. This is the inter-war war, launched at the beginning of the previous decade, to enforce "red lines" in Syria and undermine Iran's nuclear program. Israel has made it clear that it will not allow Iranian forces and militias to operate and establish itself in Syria. Accurate is not only rockets, but also skimmers, UAVs and cruise missiles.
Israel initially remained silent, but changed "diskette" and from 2019, political and military sources revealed that thousands of targets have been destroyed in recent years.
The message was tailored to a specific audience: Iran, Russia and Assad.
Iran has been concentrating on developing precision weapons under Khamenei's order since 2009, with the understanding that it is a "tie-breaking" weapon.
Accordingly, the chief of staff determined that this was the second most important threat, after the nuclear. Israel understands that the plans are connected, as part of a long-term Iranian plan, and both must be stopped.
Ganz: "Iran tried to transfer explosives from Syria to unmanned aerial vehicles in Judea and Samaria in an unmanned aerial vehicle." From the YouTube channel of the Institute for Policy and Strategies (IPS)
The interesting twist recently is that while the attacks continue, the Russians and Syrians are not complaining. Netanyahu and Bennett have made great efforts to convince Putin that it is in Russia's interest to get Iran out of Syria. Israel has made it clear that as long as the threat continues and Iran breaks the red lines, the attacks will continue, there will be no stability in Syria, and Russian investment will be at risk. Russia finally understands and accepts the narrative. Whether Putin will take active steps to get Iran out is another question, but he allows full freedom of action, convenient for Israel, which would operate even without him.
Assad himself, who apparently would not have been in power had it not been for the Iranian and Russian intervention, recently joined the Russians and quietly accepts the attacks.
The Iranians have begun to exaggerate, and Assad understands that they are violating his sovereignty and using Syria.
He understands that without them being expelled from Syria he would also not be re-admitted to the Arab nation, during the diplomatic move he initiated under the leadership of the Emirates.
The precision project also threatens Lebanon, which is on the verge of collapse.
If the smuggling to Hezbollah, and especially the production of precision missiles, or the conversion of the old ones, continues on Lebanese soil, Israel will have no choice but to attack.
It could degenerate into war, which would result in the destruction and eventual collapse of the wretched state.
US President Joe Biden, Photo: Reuters
All of this is happening against the background of the resumption of negotiations between Iran and the superpowers. Israel wants a good and comprehensive agreement that will disable Iran's ability to reach a nuclear, forever. Concentrate on the nucleus.The precise handling should be conducted in parallel and separately, while increasing the MBM.
The American desire to reach a "less for less" agreement is in fact leading to a "more for less" agreement.
The removal of the sanctions, even in part, will allow Iran to rehabilitate its economy and continue to support terrorism, as the exact ones, and at the same time send a message to the markets that doing business with Iran is once again worthwhile.
This is why it is "much more", while at the same time Iran is giving up "much less".
The Iranian doctrine is built on four legs: the United States can attack - but Biden is weak and will not do so; Israel understands that the United States is weak and will not attack alone, because it has no capabilities;
Iran feels that its economy can withstand pressures at the current level;
And finally - the leadership does not feel a credible threat to the regime, to the lives of its people and to their personal property.
As long as the four legs are not cut off, the Iranians allow themselves to come to the table with maximalist and absurd demands, while at the same time acting as they please in Syria and the region.
They are willing to talk only about easing sanctions, about American guarantees that any future government will not leave the agreement, even if the requirement is against US law, and demand that IAEA investigations and open-ended questions be closed.
Washington understands Israel's position regarding accuracy, so the White House quietly ignores the BMB, but insists on returning to negotiations with the wrong approach.
Israel has an "open check" to deal accurately, but not with the nuclear threat, not even through its powerful cyber capabilities, which of course is not acceptable to Israel.
Action against the exact threat will continue with Washington's approval and almost overt support from the Russians and Syrians, and Israeli actions against the nucleus may lead to a confrontation.
Brigadier General (Res.) Professor Yaakov Nagel is a senior associate in the FDD and a visiting professor in the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space at the Technion. Dr. Jonathan Shenzer served as an expert on economic terrorism in the U.S. Treasury Department and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Research at FDD
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