Is an Israel in crisis weaker? Tensions rise on Lebanon border.
On a sunny winter day last December, Israel’s most powerful military commanders, both current and former, gathered at a swanky Tel Aviv beachfront hotel to discuss the weightiest security matters facing the Jewish state.
Addressing the conference held by the army’s in-house intelligence think tank, the research division chief, Brig. Gen. Amit Saar, was, overall, optimistic as he laid out the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) outlook for the coming year.
“Israel is perceived in the region … as a strong and stable player, with high economic and scientific capabilities,” Brigadier General Saar said.
His survey included the challenges facing Iran, unrest in the West Bank, and relative stability in Gaza. A distant fourth concern was Israel’s northern neighbor, Lebanon, and the threat posed by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.
“Lebanon is a country in a deep crisis, and this creates deep tension for Hezbollah.
