Latest news with #YaakovAmidror
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Can Israel Disable Iran's Fordow Without US Help? Some Say Yes.
As the world awaits US President Donald Trump's decision on whether to join Israel in attacking Iran's nuclear program, many experts argue that Israel simply can't do the job alone. Its military lacks the heavy bombs and B-2 stealth jets needed to penetrate the uranium enrichment hall at the Fordow site hidden deep under a mountain near the holy city of Qom, whose destruction is viewed as key. But there is a competing view and it was expressed by a top Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity: There are many options still on the table, this official replied, when asked how the mission could be achieved without the bunker busters in the US arsenal. Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the same on Wednesday — without providing details — that without the US, Israel will find a creative solution to taking out Fordow. A more official version of this was uttered by Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in a radio interview this week. He said Israel can and will do it alone. Some outside experts agree. One is David Albright, founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. Asked by Tablet Magazine this week whether Israel could do the job alone, he replied: 'Yeah, I think so. They could mine it during a commando raid. They could potentially crack the ceiling or undermine the support structure of the halls. They can make it very difficult to get into. Effectively that's destroying it, if you can't get in without months and months of work. Then when you get in, it's more than likely most of the centrifuges are going to be broken.' His reference to a commando raid is something others have focused on, including Kenneth Pollack of the Middle East Institute. They point to an operation Israeli troops carried out last September in Syria before former President Bashar al-Assad was driven from power. What Bloomberg Analysts Say... 'If the US won't enter the conflict, Israel could still choose to pursue a high-risk ground operation to breach and destroy Fordow from within. Any such operation would face enormous challenges — logistical complexity, long-distance travel deep into Iranian territory, and the risk of engagement with well-armed Iranian forces.' — By Adam Farrar and Jennifer Welch — to read more click here The raid wasn't publicly revealed till four months later. Then, the Israeli military offered details along with video taken during the raid. According to military spokesmen, 120 special forces were accompanied by dozens of aircraft striking deep in Syria. The raid eliminated what they said was an Iranian missile-production site deep in a mountainside. The footage showed Israeli troops moving through a concrete-lined tunnel while being overseen by military officials inside an Israeli command center. The raid has been widely praised for its daring in Israel, including by Netanyahu, and has been suggested as a model for a Fordow hit. Another possibility: if Israel eliminates Iran's air defense system around Fordow, as it says it's doing, its own F-35s and F-15s, carrying not 30,000-pound but 2,000- and 4,000-lb bombs, could carry out repeated strikes over the site, eventually penetrating it. All options involve risks, including US aircraft with their massive loads. But Israel argues that the greatest risk is leaving Iran's nuclear facilities intact and in the hands of the current government. And it says no matter what the US decides, its own operation won't stop until it achieves its goal. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
We should attack Iran, even if we do it alone, former NSC head says
Yaakov Amidror, who led Israel's National Security Council, said that Israel is capable of attacking Iran even without American support. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, former head of Israel's National Security Council, said that Israel should attack Iran should an unfavorable nuclear deal be reached, in a conversation with Aryeh Eldad Shay Golden on 103FM on Tuesday. During the conversation, Amidror addressed an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report stating that Iran holds enriched uranium at a level sufficient to produce approximately ten nuclear bombs, and emphasized the seriousness of the threat. "This should influence us. We need to understand that if there is no good agreement, we will have no choice but to attack Iran. We cannot allow the Iranians to continue advancing their nuclear program." When asked whether Israel is capable of attacking without American support, he replied: "We can attack less effectively, but we can still attack." Regarding the expected improvement in Iran's air-defense systems since the last attack, he said, "It's a constant race. They probably learned from the vulnerabilities they had following our attack and improved their defense capability. But we also learned lessons, and today we're definitely much better prepared than we were when we attacked. It's true that the other side is improving, but it's not true to think that we're not improving too." Asked whether an Israeli strike on Iran is even realistic, Amidror said, "Our strikes in Yemen are the best exercises the Air Force can do. It's a longer distance than what's needed to fly to Iran, it's very complex, and on the technical-logistical side, it gives the Air Force a lot of confidence. Can we do it like the Americans? The answer is no. It's not something simple that can be done routinely." Amidror also discussed the food-distribution project for Gaza through civilian mechanisms. "So far it's working, but what will determine its success is the long term. Unless Hamas manages to ruin the system and the Gazans continue receiving food over Hamas's head — that will be a huge success." Asked how much of the food actually reaches the civilian population, he said, "That's a question that's asked about almost every society in the Middle East. We can't change the Gaza system. We can't solve all the problems of Palestinian society. It's a society where the leadership is consistently corrupt, and the strong take." Regarding images from the ground, Amidror noted: "If there's no shooting, then at first glance it will look more okay. Will it solve any problem for us internationally? No." Asked about claims that Israel is financing the aid, Amidror responded: "Transferring the food is part of the war. It's part of the effort to create a situation where Hamas doesn't control the Gaza Strip." On negotiations with Hamas, he said: "We need to continue the military pressure as if there are no negotiations — unlike with Iran, where during negotiations it will be very difficult for us to attack. In Gaza, our pressure on Hamas is part of the bargaining chips the Americans have. Where will it lead? I can't say." Turning to developments in the North, Amidror addressed the possibility of renewing diplomatic dialogue with Syria, particularly with Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new president. "For a Jew like me, who was the intelligence officer of Northern Command more than 30 years ago, it's really interesting to see Syria's transformation. And I support giving talks with Sharaa a chance," he said. He continued: "In Arabic, there's a proverb that says: 'There's no tax on words,' so everything he [Sharaa] says is nice — but it needs to be judged by actions. And the one thing that can't be whitewashed is the curriculum you teach in schools." He concluded: "It's possible that this person, on his path from being an al-Qaeda affiliate to being Syria's ruler, realized that there's no way to govern Syria the way he might have wanted in theory. There's a world out there, and in that world, he has to take others into account."
Fox News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
With Trump's blessing, Israel has Hamas terrorists on back foot: 'Operating in survival mode'
Israel's war in Gaza resumed in full force last week after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire and a deadlock in negotiations over the release of the remaining hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new wave of airstrikes, quickly followed by coordinated ground operations in three key areas: the Netzarim Corridor, Gaza's northern coastline and the Rafah district in the south. With expanded U.S. support and favorable shifts in the regional landscape, this next phase signals a significant evolution in Israel's military objectives, from degrading Hamas's battlefield capabilities to dismantling its ability to govern. "We've been fighting them for 10 days," said Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror (res.), former Israeli national security advisor. "All they've managed to do is fire seven rockets. That tells you how much damage we've inflicted already." A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital: "We seized weapons caches, labs, and command centers. Hamas today is not functioning like an army. It's a dangerous terror group, but it's not what it was on October 7." According to Israeli data, most of Hamas's senior command has been eliminated and only fragmented units remain. "They've lost their experienced leadership," the official said. "They're operating in survival mode." This time, Israel is operating under dramatically improved conditions, both militarily and diplomatically. "The strategic environment has changed," Amidror told Fox News Digital. "Hezbollah is weaker, Iran is constrained, and the American administration is offering us true support. They're not telling us where to bomb or how to fight." With fewer threats on other fronts and strong backing from the Trump administration, the IDF has broadened its scope to include Hamas's political leadership. "We're not just degrading military capabilities anymore," Amidror said. "We're dismantling the structure that allowed Hamas to govern." During the pause in fighting, Hamas consolidated control over humanitarian aid, confiscating supplies, reselling goods and using them to recruit fighters and maintain loyalty. Israeli officials now say that won't be allowed to continue. "We are working to find a solution so that humanitarian aid reaches civilians and is not weaponized by Hamas," the senior Israeli security official explained. He noted that Gaza currently has sufficient food reserves and that Israel is developing new delivery mechanisms that bypass Hamas entirely. Fifty-nine Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Their continued detention has sparked nationwide protests, with families urging the government to prioritize a negotiated release. But the renewed fighting puts those hostages in greater danger. "The only real limitation is the hostages," Amidror acknowledged. "We want them alive, and fighting a war while trying to protect them is a huge challenge." "My position is that first we have to get the hostages back, even if we need to commit to end the war and pull back to a security perimeter," said Ram Ben Barak, former deputy head of Mossad and current Knesset member. "We can commit to that, but only if Hamas gives all the hostages back. If they don't, that alone is a reason to go back to war. And even if Hamas does return them, we'll be watching. If Hamas starts smuggling weapons again or training fighters, that, too, will be a reason to go in and hit them hard." The security official said military pressure is part of a coordinated effort to bring the hostages home. "They released a group of hostages earlier than planned because of the pressure we applied in Netzarim when they refused to release Arbel Yehud," he said. Despite tactical gains, Israeli leaders know the war cannot eliminate Hamas's ideology. The mission, they say, is to prevent it from ever ruling Gaza again. "We won't go back to the days when we let them quietly build an army," Ben Barak told Fox News Digital. "We'll strike every time we see military training or arms smuggling. They'll never have tanks or armored vehicles again." Ben Barak said Israel can't remain in Gaza long-term: "If we stay like we did in Lebanon for 19 years, we'll leave in shame. The only way to win is to have someone else replace Hamas and govern Gaza." He also pointed to the West Bank as a partial model: "In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority governs, and we operate from the perimeter when needed. We need the same in Gaza: an internationally backed civil authority that rebuilds the [Gaza] Strip and keeps Hamas out." Still, he cautioned against illusions of peace. "There won't be peace in the next 20 years. But like Egypt did with the Muslim Brotherhood, we can suppress Hamas's ideology and stop it from taking root again." Ben Barak also said Gazans who wish to leave should be allowed to: "Let them out. If they have visas and want to go, Israel should let them. It will make military operations easier in a less densely populated area." Israeli forces are now deeply embedded in Gaza, with simultaneous operations in the north, south and central regions. "These aren't symbolic moves," Amidror said. "We're positioning ourselves for the next stage. We will eventually need to reach every tunnel, blow up the infrastructure, and kill every Hamas terrorist. It is achievable, but it will take at least a year."
