IDF, Russian, Iranian forces on war alert for Hizballah attack on Israel – and backlash
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 01/16
The IDF and all of the armies involved in the Syrian civil war, namely those of Russia, Syria and Iran, went on their highest war alert on Thursday, Dec. 31 when all their intelligence organizations reported that Hassan Nasrallah could not be stopped from attacking Israel, in revenge for the assassination of Samir Quntar in Damascus on December 20.
More than one intermediary visited Beirut to avert the Hizballah attack and its deadly fallout, including a former senior officer of the German BND foreign intelligence service. According to debkafile’s intelligence sources, Gerhard Conrad, late of the BND and incumbent director of the European Union’s Intelligence and Situation Center, was given this urgent mission by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He came away from a meeting with Nasrallah on Dec. 29, with the news that the Hizballah chief was not open to persuasion and the attack was already underway.
Conrad has excellent connections in the Arab world, especially in Syria and Lebanon. Seven years ago, he acted as intermediary between Israel and Hizballah for negotiating the recovery of the bodies of two fallen IDF soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, in exchange for the handover of that same Hizballah high-up Samir Quntar and other jailed and convicted Arab terrorists.
The German spy-diplomat then established personal connections with a shadowy figure, Wafik Safa, who is in charge of Hizballah’s intelligence and security network and a close crony of Nasrallah.
Conrad used those connections again in 2011 to broker the release of Gilead Shalit from Hamas captivity.
It was Safa he arranged for him to meet Nasrallah in Beirut Tuesday. He found the Hizballah chief unshakeable in his determination to make Israel pay for Quntar’s death, even at the cost of a painful backlash against the Shiite group’s terrorists in Syria and Lebanon.
He was unmoved by the warning issued by Israel’s chief of staff, Lieut. Gen. Gady Eisenkott, on Monday, just hours before the Conrad mission. Eisenkott said, “Just as we have proven in the past, we know how to strike anyone who wishes to harm us. Our enemies know they will suffer grave consequences if they try to undermine our security.”
Upon receipt of the German emissary’s report on the meeting, Eisenkott, his deputy, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, and OC Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, inspected the preparedness of the IDF’s northern border defenses for all contingencies.
They took into account a scenario, whereby Nasrallah would take advantage of the stormy weather forecast for the weekend in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, to strike Israel, in the knowledge that the heavy rain and snow would impede Israeli air force activity and give the Hizballah operation a tactical edge.
Russian military and Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces in Syria have taken into account that a Hizballah attack will not go unanswered by Israel and that the IDF would most likely hit back at Hizballah on Syrian soil, thus ushering in the New Year with a new whirlwind.
Ya’alon: Our enemies know we’ll strike them hard if they try to attack
By YAAKOV LAPPIN/Jerusalem Post/January 01/16
Defense minister: If enemies try to harm us, we can hit back from the air, sea, or surface
Amid ongoing heightened tensions with Hezbollah following the assassination of Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon issued a warning on Thursday, saying that Israel’s enemies “know that if they just try to harm us, we will strike them powerfully, and we will do so in any way we find appropriate. From the air, sea, or surface.”
The defense minister was speaking at Hatzerim airbase during a ceremony to mark the flight course completion of the latest air force cadets.
Israel has advanced air capabilities to send its aircraft anywhere, and hit “those who constantly seek our harm, and to disrupt the lives of Israeli residents, whether through terrorism or through smuggling advanced weapons,” Ya’alon said.
On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said the military stands ready to face “any challenge” from the North, and Israel’s enemies will pay a dear price if they seek to undermine Israeli security.
He spoke a day after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened for the second time in recent days to retaliate against the killing of Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar in an air strike in Syria.
“Beyond our borders too, facing the threats we hear from the North, we stand ready for any challenge, and as we have proven in the past, we know how to find and hit all who seek our harm,” Eisenkot said.
The chief of staff warned that “our enemies know that if they try to undermine the security of Israel, they will face severe consequences.” On December 19, Kuntar was killed in a missile strike on his operations center in the suburbs of southern Damascus.
Earlier this week, Nasrallah said via video message, “The Israelis are hiding like rats along the border. They are worried and they should be worried along the border and inside Israel. Their threats will not benefit them. The retaliation to Samir’s assassination will inevitably come.” Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report
