Middle East Monitor / April 3, 2021
The Institute for National Security Studies has speculated in a report entitled Nothing Remains the Same that Israel is assessing the possibility that major cities and strategic sites will be hard-hit by precision rockets from various fronts.
Brigadier Major-General Udi Dekel, who prepared the report, has stated that the scenario is “extreme but relevant”, adding that the home front: “Is a weak point and there is not enough investment to prepare for a similar event.”
According to Israel Hayom, the possibility of targeting the Israeli home front by a massive missile attack and widespread offensives: “Has until now a relatively weak presence in public and media analysis.” However, during the last two years, the institute placed the threat of a massive missile attack: “At the top of the map of updated menaces to Israel.”
This extreme scenario states that there is “an arsenal of weapons that will be directed against us,” including: “Missiles and drones from Syria and Lebanon, ballistic rockets and cruise missiles from Iran and Iraq.”
A second scenario also suggests launching “unmanned aerial vehicles and mortar shells from the Gaza Strip,” explaining that the concern is that: “These compatible forces are taking advantage of the excellent military capabilities they possess to initiate a sudden operation, missile salvoes, squadrons and drones, in an attempt to paralyse many targets inside Israel.”
The report mentioned a group of prominent targets in Israel, which the report calls “valuable strategic targets”, such as: “Air defence batteries, refineries in Haifa, power and transmission stations and water desalination facilities, stores of toxic substances, gas infrastructure, the office of the president, the Knesset, the General Staff building, sovereign headquarters, emergency warehouse units, air force bases, the airport, seaports, military bases, the first command of the Israeli army in the Ministry of Security building and interception systems.”
Dekel added in his report: “If the enemy succeeds in launching a massive number of missiles at the same time from different arenas,” which, according to Dekel, “is not an unreasonable capability,” then it will be expected that: “Israel’s air defence will find it difficult to confront this threat.”
He indicated that the result of this “possible” scenario will be destructive and will lead in certain circumstances “to very high death tolls among the population,” while noting that Israel has never experienced an attack with precision missiles on its major cities and strategic sites in the past.
