Israeli Media: We must connect the dots: Rafah is not everything

Eitan ben Elihu

3 specific incidents occurred in 4 arenas in one day. Each incident can teach us something, and we can draw a strategic conclusion from it.

A drone crashed at a naval base in Eilat. Apparently, there is nothing new in such an incident. However, the infiltration from the east, from distant Iraq, indicates the Iranians’ insistence on continuing to work through their arms at the same time, in every square surrounding the State of Israel. Until now, we have been busy with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the Houthis, but now we are busy with Iraq and the roads that cross Jordan.

The drone was small and slow, flew at a very low altitude, and was constantly changing its flight path. All of this made it difficult to detect, and its absence from radars thwarted the interception process. However, its partial detection was sufficient to raise the alarm and prevent loss of life. The purpose of the attack is essentially to maintain a range of operations by Iranian agents against Israel, from every direction.

The Israeli army ended its operation in Al-Shifa Hospital. It was a successful military operation that curbed the return of Hamas. During this operation, a large number of "saboteurs" were eliminated, and a large and important intelligence material was obtained. The operation took place suddenly, and led to a small number of casualties among our ranks. Although what was intended was an intensive military operation in the hospital area, it did not lead to an exacerbation of international criticism against Israel.

The army spokesman revealed the operation in a way that positively demonstrated the Israeli army's caution in such a sensitive area. A picture also emerged of the armed soldier preparing a clean and tidy bed to receive a child. Al-Shifa Hospital is an area that had been “occupied and surrendered” a long time ago, and we had to return to it to carry out the assassination of a high-level “terrorist,” but the place was crowded with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of “saboteurs,” as if we had never been there.

The bottom line is that even the place that we occupied and “cleaned” once or twice could become a nest for “saboteurs,” and we have no choice but to assume that this matter may happen again.

In the middle of a luxurious area in Damascus, a bomb was launched yesterday that destroyed a building in a densely populated neighborhood, in an attack attributed to Israel. The targeted location is very close to two buildings: the first, where the Iranian consulate in Syria is located, and the second, which is occupied by the Canadian embassy in Damascus. These two nearby buildings were not damaged. The target was the commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Zahedi. This Iranian goal may not be more important than it in the northern arena (with the exception of Nasrallah).

It should be noted that the rare intelligence capability, the technical accuracy of bombs and aircraft, the performance of the pilots and the ability of the Air Force to bomb a target in the center of Damascus that has a dense air defense umbrella.

Despite the failed attempts of the Iranians and Syrians to say that Israel violated international law and attacked a “diplomatic target,” the pictures published in Israel show that there were no casualties, even minor ones. It was a “clean” operation, and its results will have great importance in the battle against Iran, and Israel enjoys a significant superiority in this area, with excellent results. Such operations have been carried out in the past, are being carried out nowadays, and will be carried out in the future, when the need arises, without any relation to the war in Gaza, if it continues or stops.

Examining these three points indicates the nature of the war, and the advantages and disadvantages of the Israeli army, depending on its location and the differences between them, but linking them has strategic significance for the entire battle.

These days, access to Rafah continues to be obstructed. The issue has taken on an exaggerated magnitude, as if the operation in Rafah would decide the fate of the battle: either victory or defeat. In the northern Gaza Strip, despite its occupation, the continuation of Israeli army operations in Al-Shifa Hospital is a prominent example. This is what happened during 18 years in Lebanon, and this model has been continuing for decades in the West Bank. This is what happened in Gaza, when we controlled it and established settlements there, and this is what is expected to happen after the completion of the operation in Rafah. We are prepared to defend against missiles and drones, and we know how to carry out operations to impose security and “cleanse” the area on a daily basis, and this is what we will do in Gaza, with or without Rafah.

There is one thing that cannot be reversed, which is the fate of the prisoners. Insisting on an operation with unclear results in Rafah will determine the fate of the prisoners. Rafah is not everything, therefore, our expectations must be adjusted. We must activate the main part of the political and military pressure, through the opening created by the establishment of a humanitarian port. The development and expansion of this port will “attract” the Americans to the Strip, along with other parties. The greatest threat to Sinwar will increase if another alternative authority from Hamas emerges in the Gaza Strip.

We must reduce our expectations about Rafah, focus attention on returning the prisoners, and resolve the war by removing Hamas from power and establishing an alternative authority, even if for a limited period.