‘It’s the free world that is under threat’

How did no one know this attack was imminent?

We were told that somebody had the information that Hamas is planning an attack against Israel but didn’t know the date.

Well, I’m sorry to tell you, Hamas is planning an attack against Israel the same way as Hezbollah, the same way as other proxies of Iran elsewhere in the region. There are two terms for the same thing, “unification of fronts” or “multi-fronts campaign” that Iran has been working on with full power in the past two years.
I live next to the Lebanese border. I see the preparation. Every day I saw more military presence of Hezbollah. I saw the personnel. I saw the positions, I saw the infrastructure and it was very clear to understand that they are there, and they are prepared, and we’ve been writing about it.

And I believe that those who are in the South – doesn’t matter whether they are civilians or from the army – they saw the same thing. So when this is the situation, how would you know about the date and time? Only if you have very good intelligence.

And if you were listening to IDF officers briefing about the risks to the State of Israel, they were talking about Gaza … and the major plan of Iran to create several fronts against the state of Israel. So the major plan was known. The capabilities were known as well.

We published as well about the capabilities of Hamas, the maritime unit of Hamas and the fact that they can infiltrate from the sea as well. We knew about the rockets. Nothing was new.

What was new is the timing and the timing I guess we didn’t know, because if we had known, what should have been done is to recruit the reserves.

I think the main lesson for us as well is there is no barrier that can stop, I don’t know whether it was hundreds or thousands of terrorists, that were driving quickly with motorbikes … to the fence, running to the fence after they create a situation that I call “normalisation of the provocation”, meaning that in the past few weeks every day we saw Hamas running to the fence.

So the IDF feels that Hamas is running to the fence, but not that hundreds are trying to cross.

All of that, together with the fact that it was Saturday morning, holidays, many soldiers were on vacation, created the outcome that you see.

Were there problems and failures? Probably yes. I don’t have all the information, and I’m sure all of that will be investigated when this war will be over.

What do you say to those who refuse to believe Iran’s involvement?

Iran supports Hamas with $1 billion a year. Iran supports Palestinian Islamic Jihad with a few tens of millions. Iran is providing Hezbollah with around 70 per cent of its budget. Iran provides Hezbollah the ideology.

Iran published in the past few months their vision. They didn’t hide their vision that they want to create as I’ve said, a multi-front campaign against the State of Israel and they want to create a joint operation room with the presence of all the different proxies, including Hamas, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including Hezbollah and others based in Syria and Iraq as well as in Yemen.

The Wall Street Journal published yesterday about these meetings in Lebanon. We have been seeing these meetings in the past months, but even earlier than that. These meetings are happening all the time, and yes, they were intensified in the past year – more and more meetings of Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Iranians. I think it’s enough proof.

I agree there is an ideological gap between Hamas and Iran – Hamas is Sunni, Iran is Shiite. But they succeeded buying Hamas with weapons they provided, with training they provided to Hamas. What we saw on the weekend is capabilities that were created by Iran. Hamas yesterday published videos … taken from drones, and the drone goes above an IDF position and drops a bomb. This methodology of drones attacking key military or security positions in Israel was taught by Iran and this is what they did elsewhere in the Middle East.

Those in the Western world understand what is ISIS and Al Qaeda. ISIS and Al Qaeda are representations of the radical ideology of Sunni Islam. In the same way, the Iranian ayatollahs – not the Iranian people – is a representation of radical Shiite Islam. And their mission since day one is to distribute the Islamic revolution values, they never hide it. So they established mosques and schools and Boy Scouts everywhere in the world.

On top of that there is the money, creating support that will be able to provide civilian infrastructures to populations, and on top of that there is the military level. This methodology is the same with the radical Sunni Islam. You’ve seen this in ISIS wherever they went in Syria and Iraq. And it’s the same with the Iranian government that is doing that in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.

And I think the West should understand that there is one more than one radical ideology that we have to face. Iran is not a partner. Iran doesn’t recognise Western values. You don’t need me as an Israeli to say that. Listen to the Iranian women. The same cruelty that is being used inside Iran against women, has been used yesterday in Southern Israel.

What should Israel’s goal in this war be?

The goal should be to destroy completely Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad in Gaza.

It doesn’t mean taking control over Gaza or occupying Gaza necessarily. We unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 with no peace agreement, so we decided it’s not within our interest to control Gaza. But now it’s within our interest to destroy this cruel regime in Gaza.

It’s going to take time, it means we are going to see casualties on the Gazan side as well … They have no boundaries with who they use as a human shield. And the world should know that we have to stop that.

In the past years we didn’t want to do a massive operation in Gaza. We wanted to continue to live our lives and it didn’t work. And now we have to destroy Hamas completely.

My expectations from the international community is to understand that it is war for life or death after what happened yesterday.

Are you concerned about unrest in the West Bank?

It’s also inside Israel. I live in the Galilee, it’s 53 per cent non-Jewish that are living here. And we had riots two-and-a-half years ago all over the Galilee and mixed cities in Israel of Arabs who are citizens of Israel.

I understand there is incitement and fake news that is being spread on social media to try to frighten the Arab citizens of Israel, as if Jews are on their way to kill them. Somebody is trying to drag them out into the streets and create again the riots.

And I believe that this someone is Iran.

There is an interest of Iran to create conflicts in the West Bank and to create conflicts inside Israel.

What about the Lebanon front? Hezbollah has a much larger arsenal than Hamas.

Ten times more. Yesterday morning started with an attack from Hezbollah, they claimed responsibility for the attack. The IDF retaliated in a very limited way.

And along the days we’ve seen different provocations on the fence, especially on Saturday and that made us very, very worried. The communities next to the border were evacuated and the IDF is fully prepared for escalation in the north as well. We see their forces all over the place.

What are the chances of escalation?

I believe that Iran is encouraging Hezbollah to do it. I’m pretty much surprised that they didn’t do it until now. And as time goes by, it’s not with their advantage, because that way, we are getting more and more prepared.

Hezbollah is ready to launch these massive barrages of rockets from various, tens of villages in South Lebanon, everything is deployed there. It’s just, you know, pressing the button. You don’t need to make too many preparations, and that’s why it will always be a surprise, even if we are fully prepared.

And I don’t know exactly what Hezbollah and Iran are waiting for. It’s a good question.

Any other important messages?

Israel’s lesson from what happened is that if you have a gun on the table at the first part of the play, it will shoot eventually.

The world is facing today collaboration between radical ideologies. Radical ideologies or if you like, authoritarian governments.

It’s collaboration between Iran and Russia, it is the entrance of China to the Middle East. It is creating an alternative economy that bypasses sanctions because they market with each other.

If the world will not wake up and understand that it’s not Israel that is under threat, but it’s the free world that is under threat, you’re going to be surprised as well.

We’re not going to be the only one.

Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi is the founder and president of Alma, an independent research and education centre specialising in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border.