Ex-intel chief praises Baghdadi hit, says Iran, Hezbollah should be next

The purported US killing of shadowy Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is an “impressive” US intelligence and operational feat, but it is important to remember that Iran – not ISIS – is the main threat in the Middle East, a top Israeli security analyst said on Sunday. Amos Yadlin, a former head of military intelligence who today heads the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, wrote in a Twitter thread that ISIS ceased being a territorial entity two years ago when it lost Mosul and Raqqa. “For us Israelis, the threat from ISIS is secondary,” he said. “We would like to see the US act in a similar way against [Iranian Quds force commander Qassem] Soleimani, and [Hezbollah head Hassan] Nasrallah.” Yadlin noted that the US is fighting militarily in the Middle East only against ISIS and not Iran, which he said is the most significant threat to Israel and its allies. ISIS does not have a nuclear program, ballistic missiles, or a project to develop precision weapons, Yadlin said. He added that the US campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran – without a military component to the harsh economic sanctions – “does not achieve its goals,” he said. Quoting Leon Trotsky, who once said that “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you,” Yadlin said that the US is likely to be harmed by its withdrawal from the Middle East. Yadlin said that a resurgent ISIS, Iranian hegemony in the region, and high oil prices will seriously harm America's national security. Yadlin said that while the US decision to withdraw its troops from Syria will not immediately or directly harm Israel – because of Israel's capacity to deal with Iran – the increase in Iran's self confidence and its understanding that the US has been deterred in the region could bring an Iranian-Israeli confrontation closer. Yadlin, who last month came out against an Israel-US security pact – saying its costs outweigh its benefits – wrote that within the context of the informal alliance that exists now between the two countries, it is important for Israel to retain US support in the UN Security Council and that it would be a good idea to consider strengthening Israel as America's leading, reliable and strongest ally in the Middle East, especially at a time when the US is leaving the region. Yadlin also wrote that the action against Baghdadi was “very important for Trump, who is under bipartisan criticism for his actions and recent failures: the lack of a response to Iranian military action, and the abandonment of the Kurds.”

Ex-intel chief praises Baghdadi hit, says Iran, Hezbollah should be next

“For us Israelis the threat from ISIS is secondary,” Amos Yadlin said. “We would like to see the US act in a similar way against Soleimani, and Nasrallah."

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