Israeli Military Chief: Preparing for ‘Limited’ Confrontation with Iran

Amid an ongoing military campaign to thwart Iran’s entrenchment in Syria, the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff has warned of a potential conflict with the Islamic Republic. “There is a possibility that we will face a limited confrontation with Iran and we are preparing for it,” Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said, adding that the IDF will “continue to act [in Syria] and responsibly.” Notably, Kochavi also alluded to reports that Tehran was transferring advanced weaponry, including short-range ballistic missiles, into Iraq, from where the Jewish state could be targeted. “Iraq is undergoing a civil war, when the [elite branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’] Quds Force is operating there on a daily basis, when the country itself has turned into an ungoverned area,” Kochavi said. “Advanced weapons are being smuggled by the Quds Force in Iraq… and we can’t allow that.” The chief of staff concluded that “in the next war, be it with the North [against Iran and its allies in Syria and Hizbullah in Lebanon] or with [Hamas-ruled] Gaza, the intensity of enemy firepower will be great.”