Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi hinted Wednesday that the IDF may need to act against Hamas soon, due to the fact that the organization is strengthening itself.

"The strengthening process of Hamas requires one solution or another on our part," Ashkenazi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "There is a large amount of arms [flowing in] and they have stepped up their operational planning. The Southern Command is preparing and training for the possibility that it will be put into action."

Also Wednesday, the Israel Air Force carried out its first strike in the Gaza Strip in several months, targeting a group of militants who were preparing to fire Qassam rockets into Israel.

	Advertisement

The IDF chief, who presented the committee with his governing principles, said, "The purpose of the army is to ensure the state's supremacy and to win in the face of every challenge."

"My objective is to ensure that the IDF's operational fitness is such that it is clear in every war who won and who lost," he added. "We can't allow what happened in the Second Lebanon War to happen again.

He added that the IDF would spend the majority of its time preparing for war.

Addressing the overall situation in the region, Ashkenazi said there is an overall trend of growing regional instability, which can be seen in increased capability on the part of Israel's enemies.

He said the threat to the Israeli home front has increased on all levels, from that of a solitary suicide bomber to surface-to-surface missiles, and that there is an attempt to decrease Israel's aerial superiority.

The IDF chief said that the Palestinian population in the territories must be allowed to live "in a reasonable manner," and that the army should act "in accordance with law and order" and not burden the population "if it isn't necessary."

Nonetheless, Ashkenazi stressed that every effort must be made to prevent the smuggling of weapons and militants from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.

Ashkenazi: Situation in Lebanon 'unstable,' could deteriorate
Regarding Lebanon, Ashkenazi said the situation is "sensitive and unstable" and could potentially deteriorate.

"Hezbollah is presenting a serious challenge to [Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad] Siniora's government," he said.

He said, however, that Hezbollah has year regain its strength in the wake of the Second Lebanon War. "It is not the sovereign power in southern Lebanon nor does it enjoy the same freedom to operate," said Ashkenazi, adding that the organization is primarily concerned with building its strategic capability and returning to its pre-war strength.

The IDF chief added that the job being done by the United Nations force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, is "not bad," saying the international peace keepers are searching for Hezbollah weapons.

Turning to Syria, Ashkenazi said that the country's military is focusing on building its forces and acquiring anti-tank weapons, surface-to-surface rockets and anti-aircraft systems. He said the IDF has not identified a major troop movement on Syria's part, nor a Syrian desire to attack, but said "there is definitely a process in the Syrian Army of improving preparedness."

"Due to the fact that we don't know everything, we increased our troop presence in the Golan Heights," he revealed. "If need be we will further increase it."

Ashkenazi said Iran is determined to continue developing its nuclear capability, which represents an "existential threat" to the State of Israel. He added that Iran is playing a negative role in the region, due to its support for Hezbollah, terrorism, Syria, and global jihad.

"As an army we must be prepared against the Iranian threat as well," he said.

Ashkenazi finished by saying that due to the IDF's need to increase its level of preparedness for war, the length of combat reserve duty may need to be increased, and the length of the mandatory service should not be shortened.