IDF hustles to prevent Syria from following in Lebanon's footsteps

Syria’s air defense systems launched some 150 surface-to-air missiles at Israel Air Force aircraft, dozens of them in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 20 during a massive Israeli air raid on infrastructure targets in Syria. “Such a quantity of surface-to-air missiles is never fired against any air force anywhere in the world,” a senior Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “We are very glad that despite them, our planes were not damaged and we were not prevented from successfully hitting our targets.”

Two days after the Israeli attack, Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin and his American colleague US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein flew together in an Israel F15 during the annual five-nation Blue Flag military exercise. It was the first such joint flight for the two air force commanders. Goldfein was treated to an aerial view of the country and its borders, including an overflight of Jerusalem, and was briefed by Norkin on developments along the active fronts of the Israel Air Force.

The Israeli raid renewed the dilemma over what Israel dubs the “war between wars,” its effort to sabotage Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Since the Sept. 14 Iranian raid on Saudi oil installations, Israel reportedly dialed down its strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. The inter-war campaign shifted to mostly clandestine activity, some of which probably resulted in the launch of four rockets from Syria toward Israel one day before Israel’s retaliation raid. The rocket attack was carried out by Iranian-controlled militias, but Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense, which had been deployed ahead of time on the Golan Heights, intercepted them. According to senior intelligence officials, Israel had been prepared for the rockets and was not surprised by the timing, which likely followed some sort of a clandestine Israeli operation on Syrian territory. After the Israeli raid, Israeli security and military officials warned that the Iranians would retaliate, and Israel is awaiting Iran’s move in the fascinating chess game the two have been playing in recent years.

Last week’s Israeli air force strikes demonstrated high precision. An Israeli missile hit a major command center of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force located in Damascus, but the strike was of relatively minor intensity. The command post, known as the “glass house,” remained standing and damage was limited to only one wing of the building. “They understood the hint,” a senior Israeli security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “They know we could have flattened the building.”