Israeli Intelligence Expects War that 'No One Wants'

 Two Israeli soldiers react during an army operation near Nablus. (AFP)
Two Israeli soldiers react during an army operation near Nablus. (AFP)
TT

Israeli Intelligence Expects War that 'No One Wants'

 Two Israeli soldiers react during an army operation near Nablus. (AFP)
Two Israeli soldiers react during an army operation near Nablus. (AFP)

The Military Intelligence Division of the Israeli Army (Aman) saw that the possibility of war breaking out in the region has increased over the past months.

In a report issued on Tuesday and published by Haaretz, Aman considered that the current escalation during the month of Ramadan stemmed from three central developments that led to changes in Israel’s strategic environment. Those include decline of American interest in developments in the Middle East, Iran’s self-confidence through attempts to challenge Israel directly, and increasing instability within the Palestinian arena.

The military editor of Haaretz, Amos Harel, indicated that the cooling of relations with Washington began to affect the military field.

He noted that although the Israeli army boasts of close relations with the US Army Central Command (CENTCOM), the prevailing impression is that the Americans were less enthusiastic about Israel’s sharing of intelligence information and operational plans.

The report considered that the leaders in Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas were not interested in a confrontation with Israel, and they expressed this position in various means and messages.

However, they are taking unprecedented military steps and operations that “could set the region on fire,” according to the report.

In fact, Iran and its proxies believe that the massive demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv in protest against a plan to weaken the judiciary, tension with the Palestinians, and the disagreements with the US administration, were all signs of Israel’s increasing vulnerability.

While the report underlined that the chances of war breaking out were not great, because “no one wants it”, it stressed that the region could be dragged into war because of the temptations offered by the internal Israeli crisis.



Two Highway Crashes in Southeastern Afghanistan Kill 50 People

People who were injured in a traffic accident receive treatment at a hospital in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 19 December 2024. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
People who were injured in a traffic accident receive treatment at a hospital in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 19 December 2024. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
TT

Two Highway Crashes in Southeastern Afghanistan Kill 50 People

People who were injured in a traffic accident receive treatment at a hospital in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 19 December 2024. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
People who were injured in a traffic accident receive treatment at a hospital in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 19 December 2024. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL

Two highway crashes in southeastern Afghanistan have killed a combined total of 50 people and injured 76, a government spokesman said Thursday.
One was a collision between a passenger bus and an oil tanker on the Kabul-Kandahar highway late Wednesday, said Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province.
The other was in a different area of the same highway, which connects the Afghan capital with the south, The Associated Press reported.
“The injured have been taken to hospitals in Ghazni and authorities are in the process of handing over the bodies to families,” said Omar. Patients in a more serious condition were transferred to Kabul. Women and children are among the casualties, he added.
Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness.