'Israel' does not have sufficient capabilities for war with Iran: Expert
4 Min Read
Israeli experts are panicking at the prospect of the occupation undergoing a war with Iran, with a captain saying the occupation would not last due to its lack of merchant transport capabilities.
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Iranian warship sails while approaching Iran's southeastern port city of Chahbahar, in the Gulf of Oman, during exercises in December 2019
Tehran and "Tel Aviv" exchanging blows in the naval arena in the past few months led to Iran striking, on a one-off basis, Israeli-owned ships, despite these not at all on the Israeli supply lines, Alex Gerson, an Israeli captain, said on Israel Defense, an Israeli security website.
Why is this an issue? Well, according to Gerson, it is because of one question: How will "Israel" bring in supplies in time of war?
Once Iran knows how to inflict damage on the Israeli-owned supply ships, insurance companies will not ensure ships on route to "Israel," and the occupation will no longer have any vessels arriving docking at its ports. What is raising these Israeli concerns is the fact that Iran is heavily investing in naval power building.
Will "Tel Aviv" head toward hiring crewed foreign merchant ships? The occupation can bring in ships if it has the monetary capabilities to do so, which the captain says is no problem. However, captain training in "Israel" takes up to 10 years at the very least, and the occupation is not very fortunate in the time department.
The Israeli occupation is building on the fact that crewed merchant ships will agree to come in time of war for a higher fee, but Gerson argues that this is not a valid strategy, saying, "Is this a strategy? And suppose you pay, will they come? Not sure at all."
It is possible that US Navy supply ships are being built in "Israel," he suggested but criticized, "So we leave our security in the hands of others? To this day, we have been helped by others, but the perception has been that our independence is in our hands."
"99% of the Israeli economy's supplies, exports, and imports, pass through the sea"
A further argument was, "What if the Americans have other interests at the same time" that "Israel" is at war with Iran? This proves that the effect of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, where Washington abandoned its allies, still lingers within the occupation.
"99% of the Israeli economy's supplies, exports, and imports, pass through the sea. It is not a simple matter to prepare a routine strategy that will support the war," Gerson underlined.
"The state of Israel has never withstood an ongoing naval blockade"
"Even the stories about an air chain on Yom Kippur [1973 war] are a sin against reality," the Israeli captain stressed, clarifying that the majority of military and civilian supply in the war made it to "Israel" through the sea.
"The state of Israel has never withstood an ongoing naval blockade," Gerson highlighted, citing the Egyptian blockade during the six-day war.
"Even the Egyptians who tried during the six-day war did not succeed. Building on the Fifth Fleet? This does not seem like a national plan."
The truth is, Iranians know for sure which merchant ship is owned by the occupation, he said, adding that damage to Israeli naval vessels or Israeli ownership would drive away insurance companies, and traders would not arrive amidst tensions.
In 2006, several ships unloaded cargo in Cyprus because they did not want to approach "Israel".
He also cited the 2006 July war with Lebanon, "Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel's ports. Though not very successful, there was one hit in the harbor pool."
Since that war, Hezbollah's capabilities have only improved, and an example of the naval panic when it comes to "Israel," several ships unloaded cargo in Cyprus because they did not want to approach "Israel".
It is unlikely that the Israeli government would provide money to ship owners, so Gerson suggested they use taxes. That way, he argued, it would be possible to keep Israeli teams available during the war.
"Buying a ship is not the problem. There are no Israeli plans to do so. Who is to blame? He pointed a finger toward the national security council, the ministry of transport, and the ministry of security.
He concluded by demanding a push to retain enough sailors for the war.
