MI Chief: Gaza smuggling continues, despite Egypt's efforts

Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin said on Tuesday that despite Egypt's increased patrol along its border with the Gaza Strip, the smuggling of weapons into the coastal territory has not been stymied.

Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee that Egypt has made impressive efforts along all of its borders, including with Sudan, but has been unable to stop Bedouins living in Sinai from cooperating with militants in the Gaza Strip.

"The situation is better than before, but the Gaza Strip has still not been hermetically sealed to smuggling," Yadlin told lawmakers.

The MI Chief told the committee that he did not foresee a large military operation over the coming year. Nevertheless, he said, the Israel Defense Forces was preparing to contend with an escalation of terror, particularly due to threats from the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and other militant groups. This escalation could draw a harsh response from the IDF, Yadlin said.

According to Yadlin, Gaza's Hamas rulers have been reinforcing their capabilities since Israel's offensive earlier this year. The MI Chief said the group was unlikely to unleash a massive attack on Israel this year, but was using lessons from that offensive to prepare for a future confrontation.

Yadlin also said that Syria and Hezbollah were equipping themselves with more advanced weapons, including anti-missile defense systems and various types of missiles.

With regard to Iran, Yadlin warned that while its current level of uranium enrichment was too low to be used for an atomic weapon, it could increase production shortly.

He said that 2009 and 2010 would constitute a crucial time for the international community to put an end to Iran's nuclear program, but would not elaborate on what particular steps that should be taken.