Israël : « Si nous baissons la garde, c’est la catastrophe », déclare le colonel Olivier Rafowicz
October 7, 2023 remains a pivotal date in Israel's recent history. For Israeli Colonel Olivier Rafowicz, former spokesman for the Israeli army, this event constitutes a true "tectonic shock" that profoundly shook the country's society, army, and intelligence services.
Speaking to journalists from seven French-speaking African countries visiting Israel at the invitation of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military officer revisited the attacks carried out that day by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
According to him, the offensive resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people, the abduction of 250 others, and the displacement of more than 143,000 Israelis. He describes this episode as a "colossal failure of Israeli intelligence and the army," emphasizing that it represents an unprecedented security breach since the creation of the State of Israel.
A war on multiple fronts
For Colonel Rafowicz, the conflict that began on October 7th is not limited to Gaza. He describes it as a war being waged on "seven fronts": Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. To this, he adds, there is an eighth front: that of communication and international public opinion.
“We would like to think about something other than war, but October 7th demonstrated what can happen when we let our guard down,” he told Seneweb. For him, constant vigilance has become a necessity in the face of the threats posed by the Iranian-backed axis.
Hezbollah at the heart of concerns
Regarding Lebanon, the colonel states that Israel is not officially at war with the Lebanese state, but with Hezbollah, which he accuses of having developed a military infrastructure in the south of the country for decades.
He specifically mentions a network of deep tunnels and military capabilities intended, according to him, to conduct incursions into Israeli territory. He maintains that Israel intervened in Lebanon to neutralize this threat, while diplomatic discussions continue between Israeli and Lebanese authorities.
A strategic turning point in 2024
The military officer believes that September 2024 marked a major shift in the conduct of the war. He cites in particular "Operation Bipper," which he claims dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah's chain of command, followed by the elimination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
For Olivier Rafowicz, this sequence marks the transition to a new phase of the conflict, in which Israel seeks to regain the strategic initiative against its adversaries.
"If the IDF lowers its guard, the State of Israel disappears," he concluded.
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