According to chief of military intelligence, Major-General Amos Yadlin, Israel’s deterrence abilities today are the best they have been since 2000.

Addressing a Tel Aviv University audience, the head of military intelligence rejected statements from “experts” who speak of “weakness”, explaining it is just not so. He added that one may measure Israel’s deterrence abilities by measuring the enemy’s hesitancy to attack. “In my opinion, Israel during the last two years has been involved in a deterrence test.”

Regarding Syria, Yadlin believes overtures towards peace by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are genuine, explaining the Syrian leader’s price for diplomatic relations with Israel is the return to the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, i.e. a withdrawal from the entire Golan Heights.

The military’s most senior intelligence officer added that the likelihood of a war in 2009 remains low, adding there is however a much higher or perhaps likelihood of a localized conflicts that could lead to more comprehensive confrontations.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)