Air Force to become strategic target for adversaries: Israeli general
IOF retired Major General Isaac Breik comments on the challenges faced by the Israeli occupation's air force.
The Israeli occupation forces put all their eggs in one basket when it came to the Air Force over the past few years, chiefly when it came to buying aircraft, Israeli retired Major General Yitzhak Brick said Saturday, Israeli media reported.
In an interview with Israeli radio, Brick emphasized the issues confronting the Israeli air force.
He expressed concern over neglecting the development of essential supplementary systems like missile weaponry and laser systems, while "sucking the army dry."
Brick stressed that while the Air Force possesses skilled pilots and new aircraft, preparations for upcoming conflicts have not been adequately addressed, leaving the Air Force vulnerable to becoming a strategic target for adversaries.
"Around 3,500 missiles are projected to target Israel daily, in addition to numerous UAVs," he said. "The Israeli air force would be the primary target, with heavy and precision missiles aimed at runways or their vicinity, crippling operational capabilities."
There were reserve units established twelve years ago to clear debris and extinguish fires on runways, he said, but these units have suffered due to leadership that appears detached from practical realities.
He recalled the impact of the October 1973 war, when the Israeli air force was dealt a significant blow from which it hasn't fully recovered.
Sharing a recent interaction with Air Force leaders and Security Minister Yoav Galant, Birck expressed frustration at the lack of concrete answers.
This comes in the wake of previous warnings from Israeli media about the deteriorating efficiency of the Israeli air force, speculating that the occupation may not be ready to initiate a proactive move in Lebanon.
Israeli media reported in July that the Israeli occupation Air Force is under shock, as 1,142 reservists, including 513 pilots, announced their intention to suspend their volunteering if the judicial overhaul was approved.
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"The [judicial overhaul] legislation, which allows the government to act in an extremely unreasonable manner, will harm the security" of "Israel", the reservists indicated in a letter sent to Knesset members, Israeli occupation army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar.
"We're in a similar situation to the one in Israel just before the 1973 Yom Kippur War," Haaretz quoted an involved senior officer in the reserves as saying.
"Our expectation is that the top brass, the chief of staff, and the Air Force commander, will now bang on the table and warn the politicians of the expected consequences if they let this thing happen."
Israeli media suggested that the Israeli occupation Air Force is losing its eligibility for war and facing its largest crisis so far, warning that the Air Force may be out of operational competence in a short time.
According to the Israeli media, these reservists talk in closed circles about their great disappointment with Halevi and Bar because they do not report about the division in the Air Force and the reserves to Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant, which generated a major crisis of confidence in them.
The media pointed out that in order to bridge the ongoing gap, the Israeli occupation Air Force is making a series of adjustments within squadrons and missions to minimize the damage to operational readiness.
The media described the ongoing division as deep and destructive to the Israeli military and might disintegrate it from within, warning that the occupation army might be significantly weakened.
The phenomenon of reservists refusing to show up for service is expanding due to the judicial overhaul, with some pilots saying that "unless the plan is stopped, no attack will be carried out on Iran's nuclear facilities."