Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Monday, that the "Arab Spring" government upheavals could turn Israel's southern and northern borders into hothouses for terror. In the case of the northern border he said the Golan Heights and wider areas could be affected by the situation in Syria getting out of control.
During Barak's comprehensive survery of the strategic environment for the start of 2012, he made it clear that the situation requiresappropriatevigilanceandpreparednesson the part ofthe securitysystem,against the background of Hizbullah,Hamas,Iranandthedelegitimization effortsIaimedto isolate Israel andrestrictitsfreedom ofaction.