IDF Tactics: Air Campaigns at Dead-End; Pinpoint Ground Ops May Lead to Victory

Originally published under the title "After Years of Dead-end Air Campaigns, Pinpoint Use of Ground Forces May Offer Way Out."

Gary Gambill

Israeli units prepare to advance on the Suez Canal during the 1967 Six Day War. Today, ground maneuver is seen in Israel as a liability rather than the key to victory. (Government Press Office)

Two Israeli officers made the rare decision to issue a stark warning in an official IDF journal. Israel’s military, they cautioned, is at a dead end.

Writing in the wake of a series of three “deterrence operations,” Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadai and Lt. Col. Eran Ortal pointed out that the conflicts were part of a predictable and worrying pattern: Israel’s air force carries out an opening strike that kills a senior commander and temporarily knocks the enemy off balance; Israel decides to continue the operation; the IDF then struggles to keep pressure on the enemy, who recovers and fights back; Jerusalem turns to the international community to help bring the fight to a close; Israel enjoys a limited period of quiet before the next round.

They were writing more than a decade ago.

Continue reading the full article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the Times of Israel‘s diplomatic reporter and a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
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