Defense Minister Yoav Galant rejected the traditional policy of “uncertainty” and openly admitted that yesterday’s strikes on Syria were carried out by the IDF. “Last night we received another confirmation that in the State of Israel the noise of airplanes sounds louder than other background noises,” Galant said at a pre-holiday event with the Prime Minister at the General Staff. “In the end, everything is decided by deeds, not words,” added the Minister of Defense, clearly alluding to the reservists’ protests and the warning about the threat of a reduction in the combat capability of the IDF.
Israel has always followed a policy of “uncertainty”, neither admitting nor denying its responsibility for the attacks attributed to it. Citizens learned about the operations of the IDF in the neighboring territories from the words of foreign media – information about the goals and meaning of strikes on Syria “flowed” there. Israeli journalists disciplinedly called these attacks “strikes attributed to Israel”.
Benjamin Netanyahu in recent years began to change this policy drawing accusations of using the IDF and Mossad for political purposes.
After the statement of Defense Minister Galant, the military correspondent of TV channel 12, Nir Dvori reported details of the double strike on Tartus and Hama and announced interviews with the pilots who took part in the night operation. Dvori explained that the target of the attack in Hama was again the SRS military institute, which was involved in the development of various types of weapons, and with the first strike on Tartus, the Tsahal Air Force “pierced” the air defense of this military facility.