On the border of terror

Top Israeli officials from both the government and the security establishment have placed special emphasis over the past several days on shifting the public’s focus to the country’s northern border, suggesting that the recently signed nuclear deal between Iran and world powers will strengthen terrorist organizations bent on the destruction of the Jewish state.

Not surprisingly, Iran’s own indications that it is prepared to bulk up its military were played up by Jerusalem as well in an attempt to highlight the threats posed by the deal. These worries are noticeably reflected in the articles and analyses of the country’s major papers on Wednesday, though not all the media share the same sense of imminent danger on the horizon of the Jewish state.

Yedioth Ahronoth’s main headline states, “After the [nuclear] agreement: The weapons are flowing” to Iran, following the Islamic Republic’s announcement yesterday that the regime is set to sign a contract with Russia next week for the purchase of four S-300 surface-to-air missile systems. The system is among the most advanced in the world, and Israel fears it could help give Iran the ability to fend off possible airstrikes against its nuclear program.

The daily also quotes senior Iranian officials as saying that funding for Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah will continue, statements aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings during a visit to the IDF’s Northern Command headquarters. “What we have said all along has turned out to be accurate,” Netanyahu said yesterday referring to his opposition to the nuclear agreement between world powers and Tehran. “The money that will flow to Iran-sponsored terrorist organizations will be used for one stated purpose — to destroy Israel.”

But despite the prime minister’s ominous predictions, Yedioth analyst Alex Fishman offers that Hezbollah may not, in fact, be too keen to flare up Israel’s northern border any time soon. “Senior [Israeli] army officials that have been summoned for an advocacy offensive in face of Washington’s [efforts to garner support in Congress for the nuclear deal] are slightly confused,” Fishman writes. “On the one hand, they are expected to warn that the Iranians are on the border. But on the other hand, they admit: Hezbollah is sending messages that it is not interested in heating up the region, and Iran does not have an interest in mobilizing Hezbollah against Israel.”

Nevertheless, Fishman continues, a misreading of the Lebanese terrorist group’s intentions may deteriorate into an all-out confrontation. Fishman concludes that the Israeli efforts to highlight the threat posed by Hezbollah may actually be counterproductive and lead to clashes along the border.

Israel Hayom backs the prime minister and stresses his message that Israel is prepared for any threat leveled at it. The paper’s top correspondent, Boaz Bismuth, suggests that after the unfreezing of sanctioned assets, Iran will not settle for Russian defense systems, and will likely do everything in its power to upgrade militarily.

“The [arms] shopping list is long and corresponds to Iran’s aspirations,” Bismuth writes. “Aside from nuclear capabilities, using the same card [Iran] can significantly upgrade their conventional military capabilities.”

Counter to the country’s two major papers, Haaretz does not even mention Iran on its front page and instead focuses on internal developments in Israel. The paper reports that the IDF has demolished 22 structures in Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem, as well as another 17 buildings in the Jordan valley.

According to UN officials quoted by Haaretz reporter Amira Hass, the current round of demolitions of homes deemed by Israeli authorities to have been illegally constructed was the largest of its kind since 2012. The attorney representing the families whose homes were destroyed east of the capital, Shlomo Leker, said the demolitions were not performed according to standard procedure since the state has yet to respond to legal petitions on the matter.

Yedioth’s famous uplifting section on its back page today brings the story of an ultra-Orthodox, 30-year-old mother of three who followed her dreams to the sky and is set to soon become El Al’s first female religious pilot. The woman, who requested anonymity, began studying flight when she was 20 years old.

She was accepted into El Al’s prestigious pilot’s course, but had trouble achieving the necessary amount of flight hours due to the fact that she had not served as a pilot in the IDF as most other candidates for the Israeli airline had. Nevertheless, the woman took the time each year to practice her flying skills in the US until she finally garnered the necessary experience. “My lifelong dream has been to be an active pilot,” the woman told Yedioth. “My husband is very supportive and is helping me achieve it.”