JEWISH SENTINEL

JEWISH WORLD • DECEMBER 20-26, 2024 21 There's another lesson when it comes to Syria – don’t rely on intelligence informa- tion. It was wrong again, big time. to carry out its plan of attack. Why am I so sure that Netanyahu wouldn't have approved the rapid, surprise operation against Syria? He abhors risk, and he has endlessly conducted himself in similar situa- tions in the past. He always pre- ferred putting things off, not doing anything, and not taking responsi- bility out of a desire not to shake his hold on oIfice A t the time of the army's 2014 operation in Gaza, he knew there were 32 Hamas tunnels ap- proaching the Israeli border, cross- ing it and endangering the residents of Israeli border communities, but because he wanted quiet, he agreed to a cease fire with +aPas without an Israeli ground invasion. It was only a mistake by Hamas, whose fighters infiltrated ,srael through a tunnel near Kibbutz Sufa, that forced him to deploy forces in the Gaza Strip. That's also how he acted before the current war. After having invent- ed the doctrine that "Hamas is de- terred" to justify not doing anything, he prevented the IDF from assassi- nating Yahya Sinwar and the rest of Hamas' senior leadership before the war because he was afraid that Hamas would respond. When the war broke out, he opposed a ground invasion into Gaza, delayed con- quering Khan Yunis, Rafah, and the Philadephi corridor, and opposed invading Lebanon. So, it's clear that he wouldn't have agreed to any op- eration in Syria unless he was afraid of a repeat of October 7, again on his watch. There's another lesson when it comes to Syria – and that's not to rely on intelligence information. It was wrong again, big time. Intelli- gence oIficials didn t e[Sect the reE- els to take advantage of the situa- tion – Hezbollah being battered and Iran being preoccupied – to defeat $ssad ,ntelligence oIficials were surprised, just as the other "experts" on Syria who chatter on television here were. Nevertheless, Israeli in- telligence should be commend- ed for gathering a huge amount of information about Syria's military bases and weapon depots over the years, enabling the IDF to have ac- tion plans ready. There's another lesson that we have learned – that our enemies around us aren't so strong and that we're not so weak. Hamas paid a consider- able price in death and destruction. +e]Eollah didn t Panage to fire 2,000 missiles a day as we had feared, and its leadership was as- sassinated. Iran understood that it was exposed to Israel's air force and intelligence. Syria turned out to be a hollow, impoverished coun- try with a weak and antiquated army that was destroyed within three days. Nehemia Shtrasler is a journal- ist for Haaretz who focuses on na- tional issues in Israel. 5etanyahu smiles as he prepares to testify at his trial on corruption charges after lauding the Israeli Air -orce for its strikes against Syria. Lesson continued from page 4 Mark Schindler Licensed A s sociate Real E s tate Broker m: 516.8 85. 2577 | mschindler@corcoran.com RealestateagentsaffiliatedwithTheCorcoranGroupare independentcontractorsandarenotemployeesofTheCorcoranGroup.EqualHousingOpportunity.TheCorcoranGroup isa licensedREbroker locatedat92MainSt,WHB,NY11978All information furnished regardingproperty forsaleor rentor regardingfinancing is fromsourcesdeemed reliable,butCorcoranmakesnowarrantyor representationas to theaccuracy thereof.Allproperty information ispresentedsubject toerrors,omissions,pricechanges,changedpropertyconditions,andwithdrawalof theproperty from themarket,withoutnotice.Alldimensionsprovidedareapproximate. The Schindler Team AT CORCORAN Experience the ultimate blend of history and charm in this early 20 th century residence, nestled on 0.62-acres south of the highway. 7 spacious bedrooms and 3 full baths across three floors | Mature tree-lined frontage | Outdoor decking | 18x36 pool | Unparalleled convenience | Close to Quogue Market, Playhouse, local stores, Village Beach & Quogue Library Exceptionally low taxes. Don't miss this rare opportunity! $2,399,000 | Web# 917322 UNBELIEVABLE OPPORTUNITY! Best Deal in Quogue - South of the Highway. Happy Hanukkah from