BEIRUT: Israel’s former national security adviser said the Jewish state faces threats posed mainly by non-state entities motivated by Islamic ideology, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
“The strongest of them is Hezbollah, which was formed with a dual purpose in mind: It represents Iran’s long reach in the area and against Israel, while at the same time it aims to control Lebanon, where the Shi’ites are the largest ethnic group,” Amidror said, pointing out that the resistance group most closely resembles an army with an arsenal totaling some 150,000 missiles and rockets, several thousand of which can target any area in Israel.
“This rare and substantial firepower apparently even exceeded the firepower possessed by most of the European states combined,” Amidror said in a report published on the website of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Hezbollah “is well organized into a military-style hierarchy and appears to possess command and control systems of high quality. It was established by Iranian leaders, but its leadership has always consisted of Lebanese people who were closely linked to Iran’s interests,” the report added. “Hezbollah assisted the Shiites by providing for their needs in the civilian sphere as a base for building its military power.”
Amidror said Israel must be prepared for three principal security scenarios in the near future, including a large-scale ground war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the possibility of a military operation in Iran.
The senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said the Israeli army must prepare for these challenges while providing ongoing security. The feat “will be neither easy nor cheap,” he added.
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