"All of these issues are weighty and critical," Shkeidy told an air
force conference.
[On late Tuesday, the Lebanese Army confiscated a truck laden with
Hizbullah rockets and ammunition in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. The truck
was said to have contained 122 mm Grad rockets.]
The air force focus on Hamas was meant to improve the service's
capability to halt enemy short-range missile and rocket strikes amid an
Israeli government ban on a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The effort
came in wake of the 34-day war in mid-2006, in which Hizbullah fired 4,500
Katyusha rockets into Israel.
In contrast, the army has shifted away from the Palestinian threat and
was preparing to face Hizbullah and Syria in a war that could take place in
2007. Military sources said infantry units were being trained in such
techniques as capturing Syrian villages along the Golan Heights as well as
Hizbullah bunkers in southern Lebanon.
"We are ready for the possibility of deterioration in the Palestinian
arena and, if necessary, in the north," Israel Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi
Ashkenazi said. "We are ready to apply the lessons learned from the last
war."
On Tuesday, the army conducted a major infantry and armored exercise
designed to prepare for any conflict with Syria. The sources said the
exercise envisioned heavy fighting with Syrian commandos in the Golan
Heights.
"For the army, this shift is a must, because it has proven its
capability against the Palestinians, but not against Hizbullah and the
Syrians," the source said. "The Syrian threat is the major impetus for the
ground forces."
Still, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin said
Hamas was continuing to develop its missile and rocket capability. Yadlin
told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas could
acquire 122 mm rockets with a range of 40 kilometers.
[On Wednesday, Palestinian gunners fired eight mortars into the Erez
terminal along the northern Gaza border. The attack took place before a
scheduled tour by Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh.]
At this point, Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip have been producing
Kassam-class missiles with a range of between nine and 13 kilometers, Yadlin
said. He said Hamas has also procured the BM-21 Grad rocket, with a range of
20 kilometers. Only a handful of Grads have been fired by Hamas and the
Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad.
"The army's next objective is to improve its readiness and fitness,
while continuing to fight terror," Ashkenazi said. "The drill here displays
very impressive abilities. There's only one thing missing -- an enemy."
