Liberman rings alarm bells on all fronts

Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Knesset’s influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, raised alarm bells on Tuesday over the security threats facing Israel from Iran and terror organizations operating in the region.

“No one is asking what’s happening in Iran, and I hope we know how to make the right decisions,” Liberman said during a committee meeting attended by IDF Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz. There is no doubt Iran is moving toward a nuclear bomb “at an insane pace,” he said.

The former foreign minister also warned that the situation in Syria was deteriorating and as a result tension along the Israeli border was rising. “There is no question today regarding the use of chemical weapons by [President Bashar] Assad’s forces,” he asserted.

The international community has failed in dealing with the civil war in Syria in which 90,000 people have been slaughtered, Liberman charged.

Liberman also stated that both Hamas and Hezbollah “were crossing lines” with their actions, but didn’t elaborate on specific moves.

Gantz told the committee that the IDF was focused on two issues: facing existing threats and preparing to meet future challenges

“The first and most important thing is utilizing our operational might in the various fronts, in light of ongoing events,” the army head said. At the same time, Gantz said, the IDF was trying to plan for the future amid budget cuts.

One proposal the army was examining in the face of a NIS 3 billion budget cut was to drastically limit the number and time of reserve call-ups, which would save the army money at the present time but could hurt its long-term preparedness.