IDF chief: Hezbollah is the main threat to Israel's security - Lilach Shoval

by Lilach Shoval

Shiite terrorist group "is the main first-circle threat to Israel" over its advanced weapon and rocket arsenal, says IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot | Photo credit: Yossi Zeliger

The Lebanon-based Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah remains the biggest threat to Israel's security, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said Tuesday.

Speaking at the 2017 Herzliya Conference, Eizenkot said, "I believe Hezbollah is the main first-circle threat to Israel. It has built [attack] capabilities based on tens of thousands of advanced rockets. ... These are advanced weapons, partially Iranian and partially Syrian. Some are also advanced Russian-made weapons smuggled [to Hezbollah] right under Russia's nose."

Ezienkot continued, "A third of Hezbollah's manpower is currently in Syria. On the one hand, it [Hezbollah] is gaining combat experience, but on the other hand, it has lost over 1,800 fighters and sustained over 8,000 casualties.

"As some reports have said, actions have been taken to prevent Hezbollah from getting its hands on advanced weapons. Such actions will be taken in the future as well, if necessary." 

However, he stressed that "Israel is not involved in the fighting in Syria; it's not in favor of either side." He added that Israel's only interest in the war "is to see a functioning entity rule Syria." 

Commenting on the Iranian threat, Eizenkot said, "The Iranian vision of acquiring nuclear weapons remains at the heart of Iran's strategy, even though the [2015 nuclear] agreement has, temporarily and for a short period of time, rolled back some of its capabilities."

Touching on the tensions in the Gaza Strip, he said that "we are facing a volatile reality. ... There is a correlation between the decisions made in Ramallah and the reality in Gaza. We have a clear interest in having electricity in Gaza 24 hours a day, but having us finance electricity while they [Hamas] divert their resources to digging terror tunnels is a paradox. 

"Hamas is at the crossroads and it has to decide whether it is a responsible regime or a terrorist organization that sees reality only through the prism of a tunnel shaft." 

Lilach Shoval

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=43263

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