The Israeli Defense Force has called up six reserve battalions in an emergency measure because of the growing danger Israel faces on its Egyptian and Syrian borders. The Knesset has authorized the IDF to call 16 more reserve battalions if it is deemed necessary. Each battalion consists of between 500 and 1000 soldiers.
The former deputy chief of staff, Dan Harel, acknowledged the growing threat: “This signifies that the IDF regards the Egyptian and Syrian borders as the potential source of a greater threat than in the past…the army needs a better ‘answer’ than in the past to the threat.” Harel also referred to the terrorism that occurred in the Sinai last August, in which eight Israelis were murdered as well as the situation in Syria, of which he said, “…it could explode at any moment…and pose a direct challenge to us.”
Al Qaeda terrorists have reportedly moved into Syria to destabilize the situation even further. Thousands of Al Qaeda members have come into Syria from the north, among whom are Saudis, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Iraqis and Sudanese. On Monday, April 30, the Al Qaeda groups set a series of bombs in Damascus, after an Al Qaeda terrorist blew himself up along with 9 worshippers in a Damascus mosque two days earlier.
With the Muslim Brotherhood in charge in Egypt and al Qaeda in Syria, Israel is surrounded. And with Iran rapidly approaching nuclear status, can Israel afford to depend on the United States for help as long as Barack Obama and his anti-Israel animus remain in office?
Israeli reserves are necessary because the seething cauldron of the Arab Spring, nurtured by its champion in the Oval Office, may soon boil over.
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