IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz is in Washington, arriving on Sunday 23 Shevat 5773 as Israeli forces along the Syrian border remain on heightened operational alert. Gantz is scheduled to remain in the US for a 5-day working visit following last week’s visit of Chief of Military Intelligence Major-General Aviv Kochavi. Accompanying Gantz is head of the IDF Planning Directorate, Major-General Nimrod Shaffer. The chief of staff is being hosted by his counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey.

On their agenda is the brewing situation in Syria, the Iranian nuclear threat and undoubtedly discussion surrounding the growing concerns surrounding the situation in Egypt.

Interestingly, as Gantz was arriving in Washington, Defense Minister Ehud Barak hinted at Israel’s involvement in last week’s aerial strikes against weapons convoys moving from Syria to Lebanon. Barak told his Munich audience that Israel means what it says when it comes to dealing with threats, the first senior Israeli official to signal Israel was indeed behind the aerial attacks in Syria last week as the international media community presumes. Barak explained Israel will not tolerate moving weapons to Lebanon to arm Hizbullah.

Adding to the plethora of international media reports on the attacks, Time Magazine reported that the White House gave Israel the green light for the aerial assault, which is in line with the visit to Washington of the IDF’s chief of intelligence. Reports in Israel add that US President Barak Obama has given Israel the okay for additional attacks based on the reality that intelligence reports seem to confirm that weapons are being moved from Syria to Hizbullah in southern Lebanon. Of particular concern is Syria’s massive quantity of chemical weapons falling into Hizbullah hands.

Iranian officials following the aerial attacks in Syria warned Israel that Tel Avivians would incur “grave consequences” as a result of Israel’s actions. Israeli sources quoted in the daily Maariv on Sunday, 23 Shevat stated that Israel is aware of the Iranian presence in Syria as Tehran fears Bashar al-Assad’s imminent fall, with Tehran establishing surveillance station near Israel’s northern border, monitoring ongoing IDF activities along that border.

As coalition negotiations began on Sunday in Kfar Maccabiah, interestingly, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opted to focus his remarks over his administration’s commitment to advance the diplomatic process with the PA (Palestinian Authority) as well as reaffirming Israel’s determination not to permit Iran to reach nuclear independence.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)