“An underlying assumption of many in the security establishment is that a nuclear-armed Iran is presently the only existential threat to Israel and therefore must take priority. Because the Iranian nuclear deal diminishes the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, at least for the near-term, many think it presents Israel with opportunities despite some associated risks. The most recent former IDF head, Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, stated that the deal will allow Israel to ‘build defensive and offensive capabilities that will be used as deterrents,’ while former military intelligence head, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, has written that the deal ‘buys Israel time to develop clandestine as well as overt thwarting capabilities for the long term.’ The security establishment seems confident it will be able to manage the negative repercussions of the deal, which include the strengthening of Hezbollah -- what Lt. Gen. Eisenkot considers the ‘major military challenge currently facing Israel.’ The governing coalition seems to see things differently. The underlying assumption of Netanyahu and other politicians is that Iran’s ability to maintain its nuclear infrastructure and continue its destabilizing regional activities eclipses the importance of delaying a nuclear-capable Iran.”
Nat. Interest: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/netanyahu-idf-are-split-the-iran-
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