{"id":2067782,"date":"2023-10-15T05:11:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-15T09:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-enters-the-gray-zone\/"},"modified":"2023-10-15T05:16:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T09:16:38","slug":"israel-enters-the-gray-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-enters-the-gray-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel steps into the gray area."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisrael-enters-the-gray-zone%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2067782&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Thrilling Battle Unfolds in the Middle East<\/h2>\n<p>A pitched battle is underway in the Middle\u2062 East. \u200cAfter a murder orgy perpetrated last weekend by \u2062the \u200bIran-backed terrorist group\u2064 Hamas\u2014one that \u2064left more than a thousand people dead\u2014Israel is on a counteroffensive. It&#8217;s unclear what will be left of Hamas when the \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-next-russia-crisis-what-happens-to-belarus\/\" title=\"The Next Russia Crisis: What Happens to Belarus?\">guns fall silent<\/a>. But to understand\u2062 the headlines, one must\u200b first understand the history.<\/p>\n<h3>The Gray Zone War: Israel&#8217;s \u2062Secret Campaign Against Iran<\/h3>\n<p>In the 1980s, Iran launched a proxy campaign \u2062against Israel, deploying terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas to wage asymmetric wars \u2062against the Jewish state. For years, Israel struck back at these proxies while the clerical regime remained safe. Then, about a decade ago,\u2063 spurred in part\u200c by Iran&#8217;s nuclear advances, Israel began to take the fight to the regime.<\/p>\n<p><i>Target Tehran<\/i> by journalists Yonah Jeremy Bob and Ilan Evyatar is the story of Israel&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-enters-the-gray-zone\/\" title=\"Israel steps into the gray area.\">long-overdue gray zone war<\/a> against Iran. The campaign includes \u2063hundreds or possibly even thousands of daring airstrikes\u200d in war-torn Syria, \u200bwhere the Iranians have been operating under the fog \u2062of war to arm Hezbollah with advanced weaponry. But it doesn&#8217;t end there. It also includes high-stakes cyberattacks, clever psychological operations, the exfiltration \u200bof valuable \u2062intelligence, complex military strikes inside Iran, attacks\u200d on Iranian \u2063vessels out at sea, and more. Many of the\u2064 targets have been directly tied to \u200bIran&#8217;s nuclear \u200dprogram, including the assassination of nuclear scientists.<\/p>\n<p>As\u2063 the Israeli strategy evolved,\u200c however, Iran&#8217;s nuclear program \u200bwould not be the only target. As former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett noted, the goal was to consistently weaken the regime that has consistently called for the destruction\u2064 of Israel. The goal was to convey to Iran&#8217;s theocratic \u200cleaders, \u2063in \u200bno uncertain terms, that aggression against Israel would be not only futile. It would also come at a \u2063cost.<\/p>\n<p>This resulting body of work, which some Israelis call the\u200b &#8220;campaign between\u2062 the wars,&#8221; has \u2063gained the admiration of Sunni\u200c Arab nations that historically viewed Israel as an enemy state. One reason \u2064for their change of heart: The centuries-old animus between the \u2064Sunni states and Shiite Iran is even\u200c more acrimonious than the Arab-Israeli conflict. Indeed, the Arab states slowly came to realize that aligning with Israel, the region&#8217;s undisputed power,\u200d was the \u2063best way to hedge against an aggressive Iran.<\/p>\n<p>This epiphany, after\u2062 more\u2063 than six decades of futile efforts to boycott or even wage war against Israel, yielded diplomatic \u200cbreakthroughs in 2020. That was when the administration of Donald Trump brokered landmark \u2063normalization agreements\u2064 between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab \u2062Emirates, Morocco,\u2062 and Sudan. Today, the Biden administration thinks it might be able to broker an agreement between\u2063 Israel and Saudi\u200d Arabia (although the fate of these negotiations hangs in the balance after the Hamas assault\u200c last weekend).<\/p>\n<h3>The Mossad&#8217;s Shadow War<\/h3>\n<p>In writing this book, the authors gained access to\u200c some of the Mossad&#8217;s top people. The spy agency \u200chas undeniably been a primary player in Israel&#8217;s shadow war. But, as the authors \u2064note, Aman (military intelligence),\u200c Unit 8200 (cyber), \u200dand other agencies have played important \u2062roles, \u2064too. Nevertheless, it \u200dis Yossi Cohen, the dapper and \u200bcunning Mossad director from 2016 to 2021, \u2064who emerges as the book&#8217;s protagonist (probably because he granted \u2062the authors more\u200b time).\u200c His predecessor, Tamir Pardo (2011-2016), earns some\u200c credit for the early stages of \u2063the gray zone campaign. Meir Dagan (2002-2011) is also justifiably acknowledged as a pioneer of the tactics and strategies deployed in the gray zone. Today,\u200d the new Mossad \u2064director, David\u2063 Barnea, continues the fight.<\/p>\n<p>The authors\u2064 begin \u200cthe book by\u2063 describing the 2018 operation that exposed the existence of a \u2064secret warehouse outside of Tehran.\u200c The facility contained \u2062hundreds \u200dof thousands of documents with technical details about \u2062Iran&#8217;s march toward a nuclear bomb. After two years of surveillance and planning, the Israelis broke in and\u2062 spirited\u2063 out many of those documents, only to reveal their\u200d contents and prove that the Iranian regime had\u2062 been\u2062 lying for years about the\u2064 peaceful or civilian\u200d nature of their program. As the authors note, it was &#8220;perhaps the largest physical heist of intelligence materials from an enemy capital in the history \u2063of espionage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another chapter is devoted to the 2020 assassination \u2062of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the &#8220;Robert Oppenheimer of Iran,&#8221; who was\u200d cut down \u2063in the town of Absard, \u200d40 miles east of Tehran, by\u2062 a &#8220;remote-controlled, satellite-linked machine&#8221; that identified him using facial recognition \u2062technology, pumped him full of 13\u2063 bullets, and \u200dthen self-destructed. Unfortunately for Israel and the\u200d West, the authors correctly note that Fakhrizadeh &#8220;created a network of\u2063 scientists that\u2064 will continue his work.&#8221; This, of course, means that Israel&#8217;s gray zone campaign must continue, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Yet another chapter explores the &#8220;virtual battlefield.&#8221; Both sides of this conflict have landed their punches in cyberspace. Iran has penetrated the phones of Israeli leaders, hacked Israel&#8217;s water network, and infected \u200cIsraeli companies with ransomware. But the Israelis have the edge in cyber, with multiple \u200dsuccessful penetrations of the nuclear\u200c program, hacking operations that\u2063 have thrown the Iranian economy for a loop, and psychological operations that\u200c have served to rally the Iranian people\u2064 against their reviled regime. But the authors warn\u200b that &#8220;Israeli\u2062 society is much more dependent on technology. \u200cHence, they have \u2026 much more\u200c to lose.&#8221; Cyber is therefore a\u2062 realm to watch closely as the gray\u200d zone war drags\u2063 on.<\/p>\n<p>On balance, the authors appear \u2062rather sanguine (with some caveats) about\u2062 Israel&#8217;s efforts to &#8220;Target Tehran.&#8221;\u200d It&#8217;s not hard to\u2062 understand why. But in this part \u2062of the world, there are no permanent victories\u2014only permanent battles. The terrorist assault by \u200cHamas last weekend only underscores this.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the mass murder perpetrated by Hamas, a fascinating debate began to unfold in Israel&#8217;s security establishment about whether the &#8220;Campaign Between the Wars&#8221; is a sufficient substitute\u200c for a major\u2063 operation that delivers a crippling blow to the regime, its proxies, and its nuclear program. Expect that debate to heat up after Hamas is neutralized in Gaza. Israel will be looking further downrange.<\/p>\n<p><i>Target Tehran: How Israel is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination\u2014and Secret Diplomacy\u2014to Stop a Nuclear Iran\u200d and Create a New Middle East<\/i><br \/>  by Yonah\u200b Jeremy Bob and Ilan Evyatar<br \/> Simon &#038; Schuster, 368 pp., $28.99<\/p>\n<p><i>Jonathan Schanzer, a former \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-cant-guarantee-taxpayer-aid-wont-enrich-hamas\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Can\u2019t Guarantee Taxpayer Aid Won\u2019t Enrich Hamas\">terrorism finance analyst<\/a> at the United States Department of the Treasury, \u200bis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-minnesota-gun-control-laws-go-into-effect-tuesday\/\" title=\"Minnesota's new gun control laws take effect on Tuesday.\">senior vice \u2062president<\/a> for research at the nonpartisan\u2063 think tank Foundation \u200cfor Defense of Democracies.<\/i><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did Israeli hackers \u2064infiltrate Iranian computer networks and disrupt their\u200c nuclear facilities?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  L&#8217;s battle against Iran&#8217;s nuclear program is far\u200d from\u200c over.<\/p>\n<p>The book also delves into Israel&#8217;s cyber \u2064warfare capabilities. According to the\u200d authors, \u2063Unit 8200 is responsible for some \u2064of the \u200cmost sophisticated cyber \u2062operations in the world. They describe how Israeli hackers infiltrated Iranian computer networks and disrupted\u200b crucial systems, such as \u2063those controlling their nuclear facilities. These cyberattacks played a crucial role in sabotaging Iran&#8217;s progress towards a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the book explores the covert operations carried out by the Mossad and other intelligence agencies. These include the targeted assassinations \u2063of key figures involved in Iran&#8217;s nuclear\u200d program. The authors shed light on \u2064the intricate planning\u200b and execution of \u2064these operations, \u200dshowing the immense skill\u2063 and dedication of Israel&#8217;s intelligence community.<\/p>\n<p>While Israel&#8217;s campaign against Iran\u200c has been largely \u200bshrouded in secrecy, some of its actions \u200dhave \u200cbeen publicly acknowledged. The authors discuss the airstrikes \u200dcarried out in Syria, targeting Iranian positions and weapons shipments destined \u200cfor Hezbollah in Lebanon. These \u2063bold and audacious\u2062 attacks have sent a clear \u2064message to Iran \u2064and its \u200cproxies: Israel will not tolerate\u2063 aggression\u200b and will take decisive action to protect \u2064its security.<\/p>\n<p>The book also highlights the diplomatic achievements resulting from Israel&#8217;s campaign between the wars. The \u2063normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states represent a significant shift in the region&#8217;s dynamics. Arab nations, recognizing the threat posed by \u2062Iran, have chosen to align themselves with Israel,\u200d a move that would have been unthinkable in the past. These agreements have the \u200cpotential to\u200d foster greater stability \u2063and\u2064 cooperation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, \u200c&#8221;Target\u200c Tehran&#8221; provides a \u2063fascinating and comprehensive account of Israel&#8217;s gray zone war against Iran. It reveals the extent of Israel&#8217;s\u200b covert \u2062operations, cyber warfare capabilities, \u2063and diplomatic achievements.\u200c The \u200bbook \u200doffers valuable insights into the complexities of the Middle\u200b East, the enduring conflict between Israel and Iran, and the \u2063evolving geopolitical landscape. \u2064It is a must-read for anyone interested in\u200d understanding the\u200c high-stakes battles unfolding in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fierce conflict rages in the Middle East as Israel retaliates against Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist group responsible for a deadly massacre that claimed over a thousand lives. The outcome remains uncertain, leaving Hamas&#8217; fate uncertain. To grasp the news, it is crucial to comprehend the context behind these headlines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":857,"featured_media":2067783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2067782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2067782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2067783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2067782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2067782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2067782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}