Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Gadi Shamani urges serious action and cooperation with the United States to address the Iranian threat.
103FM JULY 7, 2024 12:26
Updated: JULY 7, 2024 12:53
Iran’s UN envoy, Saeid Iravani, posted on his official X, formerly Twitter, account recently threatening that if Israel expands its activities in Lebanon, “A destructive war (against the Zionist regime) will erupt.”
IDF Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Gadi Shamni commented on the envoy’s message regarding Israel and the IDF’s military activity in a conversation on 103FM radio.
“I think it is impossible to underestimate the Iranian threat or take it lightly,” Shamni said. “The IDF and the State of Israel should take things seriously, but it is impossible to paralyze our ability to take action because of this. The state needs to do what is required in the North and the Gaza Strip and formulate some kind of clear policy.
“What is absolutely clear to me,” Shamni continued, “is that without the United States behind us, it will be very difficult. The Americans understand this too. They threaten us in this way. They understand that the gaps between Israel and the United States have been growing in recent years, with an emphasis on what has been happening since the beginning of the war.
“In the North, we will have to remove the threat, drive Hezbollah north, and allow the safe return of the residents. It is possible. Of course, after that, the IDF will have to be prepared in a completely different way than we were prepared until October 7 on all the borders of the country. The civil preparation will also have to be completely different.
“In the meantime,” Shamni explained, “the threat can always return. The UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was an excellent agreement. The State of Israel has allowed Hezbollah to ignore the resolution for years without a response. Hezbollah realized that they were faced with a weak, stagnant opponent who was afraid to act. You see what happens during Netanyahu’s rule? He simply disregarded 1701,” Shamni added.
Israel must respond to Hezbollah with military pressure
“The State of Israel and the IDF need to start enforcing the 1701 resolution. When there is an agreement, and it was said that Hezbollah can be on certain lines, Hezbollah established an array of outposts along the border.
“The State of Israel did not respond for years. That is how we deteriorated to the situation we are in today. It should be enforced initially with diplomatic pressure, and if not, then with military fire. Because we broadcasted that we were afraid and tried to buy peace with money, we got the result that blew up in our faces.”
Shamni also said “The IDF action in the Gaza Strip is going to end. Right now, the advantages we have in the Strip are the Philadelphi Corridor and targeted raids. This is good, but it has limitations. It cannot fully remove Hamas from the streets. We need to fulfill the mission together with the United States.”
Regarding the possibility of replacing the chief of staff, Shamni said, “I think Herzi Halevi is acting responsibly, and as soon as the defense minister and the prime minister say that we have reached a stage where they think he should be replaced, I don’t think there will be a problem with this matter… Smotrich’s statement against Halevi is a disgrace. It primarily disgraces the one who speaks that way – Smotrich [himself].”
Finally, Shamni emphasized the importance of recruiting the ultra-Orthodox to the IDF.
“There will be enormous challenges here that the state will have to face,” Shamni said. “It will not end in a year or two, and the situation may even deteriorate. For this reason alone, the ultra-orthodox need to be drafted. There is a vast majority of the Israeli public who understand that there is no other way. I call on the chief of staff to issue orders and create this reality. This must not be pushed off. I assume that in the first stage, they will have to issue tens of thousands of warrants.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-808350.