Yoav Zitun
It has been almost a decade since the direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran began.
Recently, the Israel Defense Forces has started preparing for the possibility of war with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In simple terms, the intelligence branch of the IDF is completing the outline of a war that no one imagined would ever come – the first Israel-Iran war.
In recent years, the tension between Israel and Iran has escalated. About 10 drones have been launched toward Israel, with the latest one being intercepted over the Hula Valley in northern Israel about two months ago. In addition, the Quds Force of the IRGC has sent several times in recent years terrorists who attempted to plant explosive charges against IDF forces, and terrorists from one of their units have tried to target Israeli tourists abroad, mainly in Turkey.
The increase in direct confrontations between the two countries has ended years of ambiguity in the struggle over the region. However, the stalemate in reaching a new nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers, along with assessments within the security establishment that the next war will be a multi-front conflict, led the Israeli military to enter a stage of preparations for direct warfare against Iran, or at least several days of conflict with forces of the Islamic Republic.
"This is a significant mindset change that the IDF is required to make. It is not similar to a war against Hezbollah or an operation in Gaza against Hamas or Islamic Jihad," explained Lieutenant Colonel T., head of the Research Department in Branch 54, the new Iran branch established in the Military Intelligence Directorate. "It is like briefing a senior commander in the IDF who trains all day for war in Lebanon or Gaza, and telling him that this time it is entirely different from what he has known until now."
According to T.: "We are responsible for providing the military with the knowledge infrastructure regarding Iranian military capabilities and strategic systems under their control. We are engaged in researching the elements of control in Iran from the senior level down to the operators at the frontlines."
In their internal discussions, they are well aware that it is not like the scenario the IDF will be practicing in the coming months, as a two or multi-front war. It is an entirely different war altogether, one that will require great endurance from the Israeli public, almost akin to a modern-day total war.
The heads of the branch come from a background of Palestinian specialization. One of them, Lieutenant Colonel Y. leads the targeting department, a position that leaves no doubt about its purpose in preparation for a possible war.
Throughout Iran, there are thousands of military targets that Israel could attack, but the targeting department is required to locate and designate the primary targets. "We analyze the IRGC specifically within Iran, not the Quds Force," an officer described. "Iran is a very large country in terms of territory, and they know there will be consequences to our operations within their territory – but it's a mutual game of exposure."
No comments:
Post a Comment