ANALYSIS / The media-assisted psychological war between Israel and the 'radical axis'
Israel is very troubled by the increasingly close operational ties between Syria and Hezbollah and by the flow of advanced weapons into Lebanon.
By Amos Harel Tags: Iran Syria Hezbollah Israel newsIsrael is currently waging a war of nerves with the members of the radical axis of the Middle East: Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas. Against that backdrop, reports have been stepping up of improved rocket-firing capability of the members of that axis and the possibility of an Israeli response.
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Young Hezbollah supporters holding mock ups of Katyusha rockets in front of a portrait of group leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. |
| Photo by: AP |
The danger that a regional war will break out shortly has decreased somewhat, according to intelligence officials, but that also means the cold (er ) war is being waged elsewhere.
There's an arms race and competition over operational plans, intelligence gathering and deterrence - and of course, there's media-assisted psychological warfare.
You've got to be naive to believe there's no connection between Friday's (London ) Times report about Hezbollah's secret arms depots in Syria and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning to European officials about the same exact topic just a few days earlier.
Sunday's Haaretz report about satellite photographs of Syrian military installations, which are available online via Google Earth, is also related.
Israel is very troubled by the increasingly close operational ties between Syria and Hezbollah and by the flow of advanced weapons into Lebanon.
Since Syria continues to deny all accusations of involvement in the matter, one way to prove it is to work through the media.
Invisible hands make sure to bring up-to-date satellite photos to reporters with a reliable record in the West.
The officials take care of the follow-up - both Israelis, like Netanyahu last week, and those from other countries.
Witness the worried statements about Hezbollah's arms made by senior American officials and others over the past two months.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which has helped bring a quiet to Israel's northern border since August 2006, failed miserably regarding anything connected to the weapons being smuggled from Iran and Syria to Lebanon.
The factual discrepancies, conflicting reports and mutual threats are expected to continue throughout the summer, even if no conflagration breaks out.
In the meantime, Syria and Hezbollah are benefiting from the shift in world attention to issues like the aid flotilla to Gaza, even if they have no direct link to it.
In addition, there has been a steady drip to the media of information concerning Iran and the progress of its nuclear program.
In this case, the Western press has been functioning for years as a conduit to put intelligence information in the hands of intelligence agencies in countries fighting the prospect of a nuclear Iran.
On Sunday, Britain's Sunday Times reported that Israel would be deploying three submarines equipped with nuclear capable cruise missiles in the Persian Gulf, near the Iranian coastline. Over the past year, Israeli submarine movement has been recorded in the Suez Canal, but from there to a permanent presence in the Persian Gulf is a long way to go - and not just geographically speaking.
Nonetheless, if the combination of Israel, Iran and the nuclear bomb continues to sell papers abroad, one can hope that it also helps a little bit when it comes to Israel's deterrent capability.
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When will Israelis stop blaming the world for what they do? It would be far more intelligent to either admit what Israel does or stop doing it. To pretend that the headlines Israel creates are some vast galactic conspiracy is simply idiotic. Either own up to what you do or stop doing it. Israel needs to join Own Worst Enemies Anonymous and go before a mirror and say "I am Israel, and I am my own worst enemy." NO other nation forced Netanyahu to order the idiotic and self-destructive attack in international waters. No attempt to deny what Israel did or that even Israel's press covered it will suffice. If you CANNOT be HONEST with yourself, then everyone else in the world will understand just how dishonest you are. Israel COULD have waited until the ships were within Gaza territorial waters before attacking. Israel CHOSE to launch a criminal assault in international waters. Why? Please tell me why Israel found it necessary to abandon ANY legal pretext and engage in an act of criminal piracy? What rational excuse might be made for rejecting the fig leaf of legal action for blatantly criminal action? If Israel had waited until the flotilla to enter Gaza's territorial waters it would have had legal justification for using force to prevent them landing. The world, the press, did not choose to commit piracy on the high seas instead of a legitimate action in territorial waters. Netanyahu chose crime instead of legal action. Why choose crime? Did the devil make Israel do it? Then who is Netanyahu?
You seem to have truncated your headline. Shouldn't it end "and the entire world"?
same as israel is arming itself, huzballah is doing it too, unless only israel should have weapons and the others should not have
"I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Isarel" --- from the Bible --- the world does not realise Who (GOD) they are up against --- look what happened to Germany and Hilter when thay tried to exterminate the Jewish Israeli people.
although i don't support iranian regim and but i think any stimulation against iran dose not help israel and west and it may make the situation even harder for the israel . iran is not an agressive country against other countries but her stimulation can cause feedback
All these pseudo "intelligence reports" that are published in the neocon-related media (NYTimes, Washington Post, London Times, etc.) are boosting Israel's "deterrent capabilities" only in the eyes of the most gullible of the diaspora Jews. It has no effect on anyone who knows the IDF through personal service there, and knows the bitter truth about its abilities. It clearly has no effect on any of the Arabs who learnt the cowardly nature of the Israeli soldier through the two Lebanon wars. I hope that Haaretz will publish this comment. After all, aren't you an enlightened newspaper in "the only democracy in the Middle East"?
Every nation that has a nuclear arsenal has been involved in more than one war in spite of their nuclear capability. The UN and America were mired in Korea. America again in Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Russia in Chechnya. UK in the Falklands. France in Viet Nam and Algeria. I can go on and on. India and Pakistan confronted over Kashmir and other events. The wars were started and fought as if the nuclear arsenals did not exist. Only Israel is itching to use nuclear weapons, just as Israel has used every other type of controversial weapon in its inventory. Still, it seems that nuclear arsenals do not keep nations out of wars.