An IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Hedi Zilberman, gave an interview to the Saudi website Ilaf, in which he referred to tensions with Iran and said that “our submarines are sailing everywhere.” Zilberman later referred to the tension with Syria and said that “this year we attacked targets in Syria with 500 accurate shells and missiles.”
He said that the IDF “closely monitors Iranian movements that could attack us from Iraq or Yemen, where it is developing precision drones and missiles that can reach Israel.” He added that “the anniversary of Suleimani’s assassination could be an opportunity for them to attack.” However, as stated, he emphasized that “Israeli submarines are sailing everywhere.”
Chief of Staff Kochavi in speech against Iran, credit IDF Spokesman
Zilberman referred to the firm message sent by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to Iran earlier this week, aimed primarily at Iraq and Yemen, the countries in the “second circle” where Iran trains forces and develops precision missile drones, while the “first circle” countries are Lebanon And Syria.
“Recently we heard about the increase in Iran’s threats against the State of Israel. If Iran and its partners, members of the radical axis, in the first or second circle of states, take action against the State of Israel – they will find themselves members of a very valuable partnership,” the chief of staff said. “To forcefully attack anyone who is a partner, partial or full, near or far, in action against the State of Israel or against the objectives of the State of Israel. I say these things simply and describe to our enemies the situation correctly – the response stages and all the plans have been prepared and practiced. “
Zilberman mentioned that in September 2019 Iran attacked the facilities of the Saudi oil company Aramco using dozens of drones and remote-controlled missiles that took off from Yemen, Iraq and Iran without being exposed. “This indicates a large Iranian capability in this area,” he said. From the same sites also against Israel.
Zilberman denied that Israel did not know of a specific Iranian intention or plan to harm Israel, but noted that the anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Suleimani was an important event in which “Iran may intend to take military retaliatory action against Israel or the United States.” Many blows over the past year, ranging from the assassination of Suleimani and the attacks on its sites in Syria, through mysterious explosions in its nuclear facilities to the assassination of Fahrizadeh, its chief nuclear scientist.
“All of these, along with the international sanctions and sanctions that the United States is imposing on it, not to mention the corona, make Iran an explosive barrel that could explode at any moment because of the load it received, unable to respond adequately to the magnitude of these blows,” he explained.
Asked about the report that a Navy submarine had crossed the Suez Canal openly and with Egyptian permission, towards the Persian Gulf as a sort of “message” to Tehran, Zilberman said he did not approve the publication but did not deny that “the Israeli Navy operates everywhere, which indicates For the fact that the Israeli submarines sail quietly to various distant and close places. ” He added that “the IDF operates with complete freedom everywhere in the Middle East and also in countries that do not share a border with Israel, and perhaps even further afield.”
Zilberman said he considers 2020 a year of excellence in security for the State of Israel, noting that the number of dead or wounded, the number of rockets fired from Gaza and the number of security incidents against Israeli targets were all very few and negligible compared to previous years. He attributed this to Israeli deterrence, noting that Israel attacked sites in Syria and launched more than 500 shells and smart missiles throughout the year and received no response or attack back – indicating that Israel is acting in a smart and focused manner that affects Iran and its arms in Syria as well as the Syrian regime. Without having the ability to respond. “Israel will not stop hitting Iran in Syria and will prevent it from seizing on one side and transferring advanced weapons and technologies to Hezbollah in Lebanon on the other,” Zilberman said.
On Hezbollah’s capabilities in Lebanon, Zilberman said that Hezbollah has begun to possess or try to possess technological capabilities to disrupt Israeli capabilities and Israel is working to find the answer and solution to this, but added that “by saying Israel knows how to neutralize any Hezbollah weapons or technology, by military or other means “.
He noted that Hezbollah has ground forces, but does not disrupt the work of Israeli aircraft in Lebanese airspace. He said Syria was launching the largest number of anti-aircraft missiles in the world, knowing that the smart Israeli missiles always hit their targets, and Israel sees no obstacle on the way to its targets in Syria.
He went on to say that he estimates that 2021 will be a “year of cyber attacks” and admitted that there have been electronic attacks on Israeli sites that have been little successful, but the damage has been very light, and Iran may try to redouble its efforts in this area. He explained that conventional wars and battles began to move from physical equipment such as weapons, tanks and battlefields to computer screens, so that the work of the state could be disrupted or paralyzed by cyber warfare.