Despite Hezbollah's increasing provocations in the north, which since the beginning of the war have caused quite a few Israeli deaths and injuries – most of them soldiers – the Israeli defense establishment continues to adhere to the version that the main arena was and remains Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
According to the logic of the top echelons of the defense establishment now, Hezbollah and Israel are currently in the midst of "days of battle," but as long as Hezbollah has not declared war, the desire is to exhaust the southern arena, which is considered central and significant, and it is wrong to start an initiated war, that is, to strike a preemptive blow, when it is not clear where Nasrallah is headed. At the same time, the pace and nature of the events indicates that there is a chance that the IDF will eventually be dragged into the battle in two arenas.
Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar commented on this today, saying that the army "is currently focusing on fighting in the southern arena, but is strongly prepared and highly prepared for any development that may also occur in the north. The air force is well deployed with all units in a state of war, to respond with fire and attack as necessary."
At the same time, the IDF has identified an Iranian attempt to increase arms shipments to Syria, a fact that, according to foreign reports, led the IDF to attack Syria twice this week – at the Damascus airport and the Aleppo airport. The orderly logic in the army is that even now it is obligatory to insist on preventing the transfer of weapons from Iran to the northern front, since those means may meet the IDF in the next war.
, Air Force Operators:
Meanwhile, the IDF continues to report that it is completing its preparations for the extensive and aggressive ground maneuver expected to begin at Shin hour. In recent days, the Air Force has flown the battalion commanders and brigade commanders who are supposed to command the forces over the areas in the Gaza Strip to which they will maneuver with their subordinates in the coming days. The planned firepower, the IDF says, will be such that the entire IDF planning will be fully implemented, and the Air Force plans to accompany the maneuver with enormous firepower from the air.
"Battle days"
"We are preparing the arena for as effective a maneuver as possible, removing as many threats as possible from the ground and air," said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. "We will do what is necessary aggressively so that if it is decided to maneuver, we will allow the best ground incursion that will give the fighters operational freedom of action. The Air Force will work shoulder to shoulder with the ground forces, it is mobilized entirely for ground missions. Maintaining the forces is our mission."
The objective of the operation, as defined by the IDF, is to destroy the military, movement and governmental capabilities of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, which create a threat to harm Israel, remove any threat, prepare for maneuvers and exert civilian pressure on the regime in the Gaza Strip. The modus operandi will include the systematic destruction of Hamas compounds in Gaza, a blockade line in the Gaza River with no possibility of movement from south to north, a blockade of the Gaza Strip without electricity or water, and the creation of a new buffer zone 1 to 3 kilometers from the border. In addition to erasing Hamas and toppling its rule, the IDF reports that one of the goals of the operation is also to create conditions for the return of the hostages.
Air Force fighter jet, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Meanwhile, after the complex period that the IAF has undergone in recent months, the IAF reports 110% stabilization – in squadrons, bases, and operational headquarters. Although the Air Force has attacked thousands of targets so far in the nine days of fighting, the IDF reports that there are thousands more targets in the IDF's target bank, and that the targets attacked are not real estate targets, but enemy targets, and the IDF reports that they are trying to get their hands on senior officials and carry out the attacks so that Israel's international legitimacy will remain high.
Ready for any development
In addition, the IDF today publishes videos of the activity of combat helicopters on the first day of the fighting. The first pair of fighter pilots to arrive in the Gaza Strip were jumped from Ramat David airbase, and immediately after them, more and more helicopters began arriving in the area, one after the other.
The IDF publishes the Air Force's activity on the first day of fighting, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
In total, the helicopters arrived in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in 28 rounds, each time dropping the munitions in their abdomen and returning to the Gaza envelope. According to Israeli Air Force figures, during the first four hours IDF aircraft attacked about 300 targets near the Gaza Strip in order to assist in the ground efforts, and tried to stabilize the line of contact between Israel and the Gaza Strip and prevent the passage of terrorists in and out.
"There are many stories of heroism of fighters on the ground, few versus many. The helicopter pilots acted resolutely against the enemy, attacks with fire from remotely manned aircraft killed many terrorists. Helicopters that brought fighters to the combat scene while dealing with fire at them. We are proud of them and the reservists who prove every hour the strength of the IDF and the Air Force," said Maj. Gen. Bar.
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