Do Netanyahu and Putin see eye to eye on Iran? - By Israel Kasnett - https://www.jns.org/do-netanyahu-and-putin-see-eye-to-eye-on-iran/
Now that the civil war in Syria is winding down, it remains unclear if Russia will force Iran out of the region or continue to placate Israel.
At this week's government cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported on his meeting last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Netanyahu flew to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss Israel's interest in removing Iranian forces from Syria and disallowing any continued Iranian presence there.
This is considered to be a significant development or rather, restoration, in the relationship between the two countries, as this was Netanyahu's first meeting with Putin since an incident in September when, while retaliating over an Israeli airstrike, Syrian forces shot down a Russian military plane, killing 15. Syria blamed Israel, and the incident caused a somewhat high level of tension between Jerusalem and Moscow.
In his report on Sunday, Netanyahu said that he and Putin "agreed on a shared goal-the removal from Syria of the foreign forces that came in after the civil war erupted. We agreed to set up a joint task force which, together with others, will work to advance toward this goal," said Netanyahu.
But Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute focusing on Russia's policy towards the Middle East, does not think it will be as simple as Netanyahu described, telling JNS, "Moscow, in reality, has neither the ability nor desire to get Iran out of Syria."
She said that what Moscow does want "is for everyone to be weaker than it is, and to be dependent on it so if Israeli strikes weaken Iran, it also helps Putin."
After Russia's entry into the Syrian Civil War in 2015, Israel and Russia established a mechanism of cooperation in order to avoid inadvertent conflict between their armed forces operating in Syria. However, tensions have been high since the incident last September, as well as Israel's concern that Iran will establish a permanent presence in Syria.
For its part, Russia has relied on Iranian forces allied with the Syrian regime to help defeat rebel forces in the country. Now that the civil war is winding down, it remains unclear if Russia will force Iran out of the region or continue to placate Israel.
When it comes to Putin, 'appearance is not reality'
Zvi Magen, who previously served as Israel's ambassador to the Ukraine and Russia, and is now a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, told JNS he believes that Russia prefers to have Iran out of Syria and "agreed to cooperate with Israel to achieve this goal."
Magen said that a joint committee will work on this topic, and "probably, there will not be limits about Israeli actions in Syria."
"On the other hand," he said, "there exists an opposition against Israel in Russia, as well as problems with Iran. However, I don't see any special abilities of Putin to press Netanyahu more than he has already done."
Borshchevskaya noted that Putin wants to be seen as a peacemaker, "but appearance is not reality."
Observing that Iranian entrenchment in Syria is deep and difficult to remove, she also pointed to recent reports of Hezbollah using a Russian flag as a cover from Israeli airstrikes as "especially interesting." Naturally, Israel will find it difficult and risky to attack Hezbollah forces hiding behind Russian cover.
And while according to Borshchevskaya, "Putin's approach to the Middle East was always pragmatic, 'friends with everyone,' " the problem for Israel is that it needs Putin squarely on its side to fight Iranian aggression and the Islamic Republic's ambitions to build a military presence in Syria, in addition to a land corridor stretching all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.
But this may prove difficult, and Borshchevskaya cautioned that Putin "always leaned more on the Shi'ite forces in the region, which are anti-American."
His strategy in Syria is "predicated on a partnership with Iran," she said. "Moscow controls the Syrian skies and, theoretically, at least, could limit Israeli freedom of action if it wanted to."
At the end of the day, Borshchevskaya said, "Putin is no one's friend but his own, and when push comes to shove, he will look out for the Kremlin's interest, as he defines it. Dependence on the Kremlin is just what Putin wants."
IAF Chief Warns Future Conflict Will Bring Widespread Missile Fire On Israel - By Yaakov Lappin -
All of Israel's future conflicts will see major enemy fire on the civilian home front, meaning that air defense is more crucial than ever, a former Israel Air Force chief has told JNS following the start of an Israeli-American joint exercise.
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military's European Command (EUCOM) announced that for the first time, the United States has brought over its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Israel.
The unprecedented move is part of a drill testing the ability of American forces to quickly arrive in Israel and help the IDF protect the country from incoming ballistic-missile attacks. The exercise could be seen as a signal to Iran and its proxies of Washington's commitment to help Israel defend its air space in the event of a future war.
Iran has hundreds of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, while its proxy, Hezbollah, has an estimated 130,000 projectiles, including long-range rockets and missiles that can strike any point in Israel.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, who commanded the IAF from 1996 to 2000, told JNS that "from here on out, in any combat scenario, whether it is local or regional, there will be widespread use of rockets and missiles [by the enemy]. Even if the IDF conducts a highly successful offensive strategy, this will not be sufficient to suitably protect the fighting forces, and it especially will not suitably protect the home front. Hence, there is no choice but to combine between offense and active defense at the same time."
Ben-Eliyahu assessed that future significant wars would involve "the formation of coalitions between countries," and that this required their militaries to practice working together on air defenses.
Mounting a joint defense requires close coordination and an ability to integrate several defensive systems, he explained.
"Therefore, it is not enough to hold joint drills as we have seen in the past, in which the coordination is limited to cooperation between planes in the air," said Ben-Eliyahu.
One of the key goals of the exercise is to integrate THAAD with Israel's own air-defense systems, including the Arrow 3 system that intercepts ballistic missiles in space, the Arrow 2 system for upper atmosphere interceptions, David's Sling for a range of intermediate-range threats and the Iron Dome short to medium-range air-defense system.
This integration of systems should become a full combat doctrine, Ben-Eliyahu argued, allowing American air-defense units and Israel's Air Defense Array to work together at all levels.
Ben-Eliyahu said that in light of the Trump administration's recent policy of withdrawing armed forces from the Middle East, "it is comfortable for it to fill the vacuum by exhibiting a defensive, rather than offensive presence."
Like Israel's Arrow 3, The THAAD system can send its interceptors into space to collide with and destroy ballistic missiles. It can also hit them inside the atmosphere.
A rapid U.S. deployment
IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters this week that the purpose of the exercise is to drill the America's "rapid deployment across the globe and to enhance cooperation between the IAF and U.S. air-defense systems."
He added that the "deployment emphasizes the U.S.'s commitment to the defense of Israel."
Last month, the IDF and U.S. military's EUCOM held the joint Juniper Falcon exercise, testing their ability to work together.
"We are working in cooperation with our U.S. counterparts to strengthen our ability to defend Israeli air space," confirmed Conricus.
The latest drill is "an opportunity to practice the integration of advanced American air-defense systems into the IAF Air Defense Array. Needless to say, we are grateful for this exercise. The IDF stands ready to protect the air space against threats near and far," he stated.
Conricus stressed that the exercise is defensive and was planned ahead of time. The United States flew in personnel and equipment from Texas and Italy to Israel, including more than 200 soldiers and officers. The full THAAD system, including its radar and launchers, arrived at an Israeli airbase in southern Israel before being transported on the ground for deployment to an undisclosed location in the south of the country.
Last year, the IDF and U.S. held the biannual Juniper Cobra ballistic-missile defense exercise, which simulated threats, but did not see the arrival of THAAD.
Conricus said past exercises did not include the kind of actual tactical cooperation between soldiers, airmen and marines that is currently taking place, affirming that "we are going to ... ensure our readiness for the future."
THIS IS NOT SPAM...CHECK OUT MY BUSINESS.... THIS IS AMAZING!!!
I RELAX EVERY NIGHT WITH ESSENTIAL OILS. GO TO WWW.YOUNGLIVING.COM. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, CONTACT ME VIA THIS EMAIL, AND I WILL GIVE MORE DETAILS. I PROMISE YOU THAT YOU WILL ENJOY THIS AS MUCH AS I DO. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.... CONTACT INFO:
TERRY SEEMAN - DISTRIBUTOR # 16084320
TERRY SEEMAN - DISTRIBUTOR # 16084320
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.