Chief of Military Intelligence Major-General Aviv Kochavi on Monday 9 Elul 5772 stated that in the coming year Israeli will find itself in a destabilized region with rising tensions. He describes the new situation as “increasingly Islamist”, more so than we have known in the past.

The senior official was presenting an annual assessment to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and members of the General Staff. Kochavi focused on what is known as the ‘Axis of Evil’ which includes Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and Syria. He stated that the assessment is the result of a long hard probe by the best of the intelligence corps researchers, giving credibility and validity to the predicted reality. The intelligence report serves as a basis for major decisions in the military by the General Staff.

He states that the crisis’s taking place in the region is taking some leaders to “their limit’ and the impact is and will be seen on both the local and regional levels which may lead to a sudden “eruption” of the area.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)