Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, the recently retired chief of the Israeli military’s Home Front command, was in charge of bolstering a network of early-warning systems and bunkers in the event of rocket assaults. It may have been the ultimate warm-up for his new job.
Gordin is slated to take over Northern Command shortly, putting him at the frontline of Israel’s efforts to restrict Hezbollah.
During heightened tensions, the Lebanese militant group is estimated to have tens of thousands of rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel, dwarfing any threat offered by the Palestinian militant groups that recently attacked Israel years ago in Gaza.
The link is evident to Gordin: his new task will be to keep Hezbollah away from his old one and ensure that any future conflict “does not reach the civilian front.”
Gordin told The Associated Press that there is “no doubt” that Israel is the more powerful side. Nonetheless, he described Hezbollah as a formidable foe.
Northern Command is regarded as one of the Israeli military’s most prestigious — and difficult — postings. Not only does it have a tense border with Lebanon, but it also has a slew of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in neighboring Syria.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, is at the center of these challenges.
Gordin, a former commando and Harvard graduate with the build of a football linebacker, takes over at a difficult moment.
Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israeli natural gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea for months as Israel and the Lebanese government negotiate their disputed maritime border through US-mediated talks.
In July, Israel shot down three Hezbollah spy drones heading near the gas field.
In the 2006 war, Hezbollah fought Israel to a stalemate in month-long combat that ended with a U.N. resolution. cease-fire.
Both sides are afraid of initiating a new war because of the bitter memories of earlier combat. The political and economic crises in Lebanon may also deter Hezbollah.
Nonetheless, recent tensions have raised fears in Israel of further war. The Israeli military has spent a lot of money preparing for this situation.
Gordin described Hezbollah’s arsenal, which is now thought to include advanced precision-guided missiles, as challenging to comprehend.
Hezbollah is believed to be capable of shooting ten times as many rockets as Gaza terrorists can now throw at Israel during the severe conflict.
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