Jerusalem, Israel
ISRAEL HITS BACK AT ISIS-LINKED TERRORISTS &
FORTIFIES ITS BORDERS
Israeli Air Force jet fighters struck Syrian targets on
November 27, 2016, following the first attack inside Israeli territory by
ISIS-linked terrorists on the Golan Heights. Early Sunday morning, militant
gunmen fired small arms and mortar shells at IDF forces on the Heights and the
IDF returned fire. Four of the terrorists were killed. It was the first direct
clash that Israel has had with ISIS cells, and has been seen as a worrisome
escalation of enemy forces against Israeli sovereign territory.
As residents and farmers evacuated the area near the border
during the incident, Nitzan Nuriel, head of Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau,
spoke to journalists on a conference call with the foreign media. He gave a
short backgrounder on Israel’s policy since the Second Lebanon War of 2006.
Nuriel explained that the moment the Lebanon War started, Israeli forces took
action in what Israel calls, the gray
area.
According to Nuriel, “It is a special area of the border
between us and our neighbors.”
Nuriel went on to say that while the fence along the border
is monitored, in the beginning of the Lebanon War, Hezbollah used the gray area to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Nuriel
stated that Israel will take action based on intelligence in order to avoid
giving any terrorists an option of kidnapping IDF forces now or in the future.
“The enemy will not be able to build-up infrastructure to
attack Israeli soldiers.”
In the incident on November 27th, Nuriel told
reporters that it was probably a field commander who directed the action
against Israel, not some directive from ISIS operatives.
“I believe the decision to open fire against the soldiers
was a local decision.”
Claiming that the IDF’s response was a strong retaliation
against the enemy in order to send a clear message that Israel will not
tolerate a cross-border incident, Nuriel stated: “You cannot open fire against us. If you do,
you will pay the price.”
Nuriel assured journalists that if ISIS really wanted to open
a front against Israel, they would announce it with much fanfare. He then
warned ISIS not to try Israel’s patience.
The attack on Sunday did not appear to be a cooperative
effort between Syrian President Bashir Assad’s forces and jihadi forces
operating out of Syria.
Nuriel’s concern, however, was that Hezbollah could try and
use a future chaotic situation like this one to act against the IDF in the
north. According to Nuriel, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, could
mistakenly assume that Russia would back him up if he struck Israel. Nuriel
warned that would be a huge miscalculation on Nasrallah’s part.
The rush by Israel’s military to speak to the foreign media
was a clear indication that the IDF wanted to send a formidable threat to any terrorist
group that dared to wage war against the Jewish State. This being the first
clash between Israel and ISIS-linked terrorist cells, Israel’s air force hit
back hard, destroying the terrorists in their vehicle, using a precise air
force missile.
Apparently, over the past few days, there have been other
attempts by Israel’s enemies to attack the IDF on the northern border. On
November 28th, another incident happened against the Israeli Golani Reconnaissance
Battalion operating along the Syrian border. The IDF responded with strong
force attacking an ISIS-linked terror cell located in the south of the Syrian
Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Avigdor Lieberman made statements on Monday, warning ISIS and other
terrorist groups operating inside Syria that Israel has a “zero tolerance”
policy.
It is now unclear if these are two isolated incidents or a
new ISIS-directed policy to disrupt Israeli life on the Golan Heights.
Meanwhile, Defense
News reports that Israel is preparing its borders with Syria and Lebanon
for what could be a full assault in the future by Syrian militant forces or
Hezbollah and its allies. (It is possible that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards
could be involved). Israel has created extreme terrain and man-made cliffs on
its northern border so that enemy forces will have a difficult time trying to
invade Israel’s military bases or civilian areas.
The Israeli government’s homeland security plans are to evacuate
thousands of citizens in Israel’s northern communities and use their homes to
fight enemy forces. Part of the defense operations Israel is currently working
on have to do with securing above and below ground surveillance capabilities; the
use of early warning systems; and the deployment of rapid-reaction and response
forces that can effectively respond to threats against Israeli sovereignty.
Israel has set up command and control networks along its
borders, including high concrete walls and 16 foot-high fences. Reportedly,
Israel is securing at least 360-400 miles of its borders along the Syrian,
Lebanese, Egyptian, and Jordanian fronts. Along Israel’s border with Egypt in
the Sinai, Israel has deployed 130 miles of border re-enforcements to keep ISIS
and other terrorist groups from operating against the Jewish State. Israel’s
company, Elbit, working alongside other companies, is providing an advanced
multi-sensor command and control network for the IDF to guard the Egyptian
border with high-level surveillance equipment.
Israel’s most vulnerable attack to its sovereignty remains
underground in the form of enemy tunnels.
The lack of preparedness to confront Hamas militants operating
underground during the 2014 Gaza War was a wake-up call to the IDF and the
Israeli government. Gaza terrorists used tunnels to invade Israeli territory.
Responding to fearful citizens, the IDF paid a heavy price in destroying 32 of
the tunnels. Dozens of Israeli soldiers lost their lives in Gaza ground
operations.
Since that war, Israel has invested millions of dollars
researching and preparing for operations in the subterranean environment. U.S.
Pentagon officials have been helping Israel with counter-tunnel technologies,
meeting twice a year to chart their progress in extended cooperation. In the
research and development tunnel projects, the U.S. and Israeli teams detect,
map, and plan operations underneath the ground.
As Israel faces the possibility of confronting Hezbollah and
Shiite militants, and radical Islamic Sunni forces, along its northern and
southern borders, the IDF is preparing for several possible scenarios. Israel
has contingency plans not only for its soldiers, but also for its civilians in
what is now becoming an increasingly unpredictable and volatile situation that
threatens the Jewish homeland and its citizens.
2 Samuel 22:3-4: “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. My shield and the horn
of my salvation. My stronghold and my refuge. My Savior. You save me from
violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved
from my enemies.”