Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot revealed on Sunday evening that in 2015, Israel was asked to carry out an attack against ISIS.

Speaking at an event at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Eisenkot said that “the campaign against ISIS was intensive and in more than one country – with results in some places beyond the imagination in the type of missions and attacks that were carried out. Some of the missions went under the radar.”

Eisnekott elaborated that “there aren’t many countries in the world that know how to identify targets the size of a podium and aim a missile at a target within a 1,000-kilometer radius of Israel. Our enemies saw it, the Russians saw it, and the Americans saw it. Those who know best how extensively the IDF operated throughout the Middle East are ISIS members because they paid the price of hundreds of dead and wounded – and they knew who knew how to carry out these operations. The IDF managed the campaign – Military Intelligence, the Air Force, special units, and foreign relations.”

In 2018, The New York Times revealed the close security cooperation between Israel and Egypt in the latter’s battle against ISIS activities in the Sinai. According to the report, the IDF carried out over 100 strikes against ISIS targets in Egyptian territory.

The report revealed that Israeli military assistance to Egypt began immediately after the downing of a Russian plane by ISIS above the Sinai Peninsula in 2015, which killed all 224 passengers and crew on board.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)