Two articles that appeared in internet news sites Sunday morning appear to reflect an atmosphere of edginess in parts of the Israeli public regarding the possibility of a war with Iran and its proxies. One was written by a person who claims to be part of a forum of experts but uses a pseudonym, and the other was written by Udi Pridan, an advertising executive.
An article signed by Haggai Amos, a pseudonym, appeared in the News1 website, under the headline: “Israel will be Attacked by Lebanon and Syria within the Next Two Weeks.”
Amos is identified as a member of the “Israeli Intelligence Forum,” which includes retired members of the intelligence community and former government officials.
The Russian-Iranian move to open the Bushehr nuclear plant this weekend, Amos opines, was meant to signal to the “declining powers of Europe and the U.S.” that a new front is taking shape: Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, Brazil and Venezuela are all lining up against the West.
Iran wants a war to break out between Israel and Lebanon within the next two weeks, the article claims. Lebanon, it warns, will launch missiles against all parts of Israel, especially Tel Aviv. This “first strike” will cause massive casualties and psychological shock in Israel and will be accompanied by missile fire from Hamas in Gaza and by terror attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
This will be followed by a second strike: a chemical weapons attack by Syria that would cause “hundreds of thousands of dead in Israel.” Israel will retaliate “very severely” but only against Iran's proxies – Syria, Lebanon and Gaza – the article predicts. It does not explain why Syrian President Assad – a secular Alawite Muslim – would be willing to doom his country to annihilation in the service of Iran, a Shi'ite power. It also does not say why Israel would not retaliate against Iran if it knew the attack was initiated by it.
Pridan's article appeared in Haaretz and is titled “Wake Up!". It predicts that Israel will take action against the Iranian nuclear program. “Stricken Iran will respond with its remaining strength” following the Israeli attack, the prominent advertiser warns, firing "missiles that can carry a payload of half a ton of explosives or chemical weapons."
In addition, Hizbullah will fire thousand of rockets. Pridan also believes Tel Aviv will be badly hit, and envisions the IDF Headquarters at HaKiryah, the Akirov Towers where Defense Minister Ehud Barak resides, and the Azrieli Center towers all being reduced to rubble.
“If there will be thousands of dead, we will lick our wounds. Five thousand would be a national trauma. At 20,000 we will use the doomsday weapon against Iran, and then there will really be a new Middle East,” Pridan writes.
Both articles call on the public and its leaders, including the media, to awake from what they see as a state of lethargy in the face of impending catastrophe.