Editor’s Note: SOFREP is pleased to present this article from best-selling author Colonel Eric “Ferris” Buer, USMC (Ret). –GDM
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The never-ending escalation of both conflict and violence between Israel and its neighbors remains an unvaccinated global epidemic. Considering the indescribably heinous attacks of Hamas on the Israeli people and the subsequent reaction from sympathetic Arab and Muslim political and military institutions, the long war may have just begun. Hamas has pushed the Palestinian people down this odious hole, a hole that leads them into more violence, more destruction, and more uncertainty.
No peace accords will satisfy the Israelis and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). No attempts of diplomacy will bear fruit, no threats of economic or political isolation will deter, and no nation and no governing body will prevent Israel from exacting its version of justice. The global community is not fooled by Hamas’ rhetoric. As Hamas seeks to increase their power, they will and have sacrificed their own people to reach their goals. Hamas, with the support of their Iranian allies, have grossly overplayed their hands.
Hamas has rarely acted in good faith for the benefit of the Palestinians and has no plans to build a society that serves its people. In fact, they have no plans for the Palestinian people at all. This attack from Gaza didn’t consider the lives of the Palestinians. Where was the plan to provide electricity, water, food, or an escape route for their defenseless civilians? Was there a plan with their Arab allies for safe passage? Anything? Nothing? They have purposefully left their people to face the wrath of Israel, with Hamas leaders scampering into their holes and tunnels to hide. Not so ironically, Hamas appears to prefer an Islamist state where they can economically and geographically isolate and dominate their Palestinian brothers and sisters.
For Israel, justice has been elusive; revenge has been denied, and any sense of tolerance has likely been destroyed.
This impending war must feel like a war of survival. Encircled by either openly hostile or agnostic neighbors, the region is bracing for chaos. Any trust or empathy by the Israeli people has vanished. After generations of compromise and appeasement with their Arab and Islamic neighbors, they have, again, been betrayed.
Israel holds the moral and military high ground. Israel, with a world-class equipped and trained military, is again in a clash of cultures and civilizations. In each of the Arab-Israeli conflicts since 1948, the Israelis have successfully defended themselves from Arab aggression, but there is a sense that this war is different. This is what the Prussian military strategist Carl Von Clausewitz referred to as ‘Total War.’ The entire population, the entire economy and industry, the entire military – essentially the soul of the nation has been called to war.
Conversely, the Gaza-based Hamas and their Islamic extremist factions have once again proven there is nothing sacred, there is nothing off-limits, and there is no containing their hate. Hamas is to blame, but Hamas cannot and does not act alone. Yes, Hamas maintains the support of the Palestinian population, albeit only a reported 50%, but more importantly, Hamas has the backing of Iran.
Hamas, who are predominately Sunni Muslims, also have tacit support from the Shia and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Hezbollah, another political/military terrorist organization, is also supported by Iran and is currently striking at IDF and civilian targets in the north of Israel. Iran has financially backed, trained, and helped Hezbollah wage similar terrorist attacks against Israel since its inception in the 1980s. Though these distinctly Shia and Sunni organizations are often at odds with one another (the Sunni and Shia divide within the Islamic and Arab world is well established), they find a common enemy with Israel.
Ironically, Iranian support of Hamas and Hezbollah exposes Iran’s vulnerabilities. Neither the United States nor the Israelis will offer an olive branch to Iran, so it falls now to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and the Iranians, though bonded through a common religion, have waning support for one another. Never mind the two United States Navy Carrier Strike Groups now parked in the Mediterranean Sea or the hundreds of US strike and surveillance aircraft put on alert across the globe, Iranian military planners should be planning to defend against Israeli-led and US-supported intervention.
Iran’s support of Hamas and Hezbollah, their continued damnation of Israel, and their long-term desire for nuclear weapons make a military response against them a win-win-win for the IDF. The IDF, particularly the Israeli Air Force and special forces, have a storied history of long-range strikes on their enemies. Using the chaos of the war in Gaza as an additional distraction and potential smokescreen, the Israelis may look to use this opportunity to blunt the swords of as many adversaries as possible.
With the world watching, no one should forget these events were initiated and executed by Hamas. A Hamas, with Iranian and Hezbollah support, who have gone ‘all in’ on savagery and inhumanity. A Hamas who believes their allies will support their fight against Israel in Gaza and support demands for Israeli concessions. What is the reality? Hamas and their allies need to prepare for an unchained Israeli military assault. An assault like they have never seen, an assault that will force them into hiding and back into their holes. Hamas should expect to be doggedly and relentlessly pursued, with the Israelis stopping at nothing until every Hamas leader and fighter is brought to justice. The Hamas rabbit hole is collapsing, their new reality will be punctuated with a cold and eternal darkness.
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About the Author
A native Californian, Colonel Eric “Ferris” Buer, USMC (Ret), spent his formative years in rural New England before graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in economics. After accepting a commission from the Marine Corps, he was trained to fly attack helicopters. His deployments took him to the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He commanded in combat, served on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as a professor of national security strategy at the National War College, and as an air group commanding officer. Eric is currently a senior executive for an aviation and training company. He is also a consultant and public speaker in the areas of military and commercial aviation and global conflict.
He is the author of the bestselling book Ghosts of Baghdad: Marine Corps Gunships on the Opening Days of the Iraq War, which you can purchase here.
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