After Iran Strike is Israel the Strong Horse in the Middle East?

By Jerry Gordon and Brig. General (US Army Retired) John Adams

Jerry Gordon, a Senior Editor of The New English Review, invited retired US Army Brig. General John Adams to discuss Israel Defense Force military doctrine and strategic options in the conduct of the Jewish state’s civilizational war with the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iraq Kata’ib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahi al Hag militias and Houthi rebels in Yemen He addresses the conflict given his extensive background as a 30-year veteran of combat, staff and international military, diplomatic assignments and post-service informal analysis and discussions with former Senior IDF commanders.

You can watch the YouTube interview with Brig. Gen. (US Army retired) John Adams, and the following transcript is available here.

Background of General John Adams

John Adams retired as a Brigadier General from the U.S. Army in September 2007, after more than 30 years of active-duty service. His final military assignment was as Deputy United States Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee in Belgium. John is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm (1991), where he earned the Bronze Star Medal of Operation Guardian Assistance in Rwanda (1996) and served throughout the Balkans from 1998-2003. He served as a military attaché with the U.S. Embassies in South Korea, Croatia, Belgium, and Rwanda. In 2004, he served on temporary duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was deployed outside the United States for eighteen of his thirty years of active-duty service, including duty in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

He was stationed at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and participated in disaster recovery operations at the crash site.

During the past five years, he has participated in unofficial fact-finding missions in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, the Balkans, and Cuba. He has close business relationships with retired officers of the Israeli Defense Forces, several NATO Allies, and is a strong supporter of the U.S. alliance with the State of Israel and NATO.

Background and Major Issues in this discussion:

It has been 391 Days since October 7th, 2023, when 1,200 Israelis and other nationals were killed. IDF Casualties have exceeded nearly 800 killed, with more than 12,000 injured. Of 252 Hostages taken on October 7, 2023, 101 remain. IDF is engaged in a multi-front war backed by Iran with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a counterterrorism campaign in the West Bank against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Palestinian terror groups. In exchange for Iran’s second launch of ballistic missiles and drones launched on October 1, 2024, Israel successfully completed a strike on October 26th by more than 100 aircraft on targets in Iraq, Syria, and Iran, destroying the latter air defense systems, ballistic missile solid fuel production. It launched a major campaign in Lebanon, assassinating Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Redwan commanders destroying rocket and drone launching sites, and its $3.8 Billion financial system. This, despite daily rocket and drone attacks ranging across northern and central Israel, triggered the evacuation of 60,000 Israel from northern Israel border communities. In Gaza, the political leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, who triggered the October 7, 2023 war with Israel, was killed by IDF troops in Rafah.

The Biden Administration has sought cease-fires in both Gaza and Lebanon during a very tight US national election on November 5, 2024, that might raise new concerns over US support for its ally in the Middle East. That is the latest background in discussions with former US Army Brig. Gen. (ret.) John Adams and Jerry Gordon, a Senior Editor of The New English Review.

Among the topics addressed in this discussion are the following:

1. How significant was the impact of the IAF strike on Iranian Military Targets in Operation Redemption, and how credible are threats at retaliation by Iran and proxies?
2. Why did the Biden Administration limit the scope of the Israeli air and missile strikes in Iran, Syria, and Iraq, concerns over possible attacks against Iran’s energy and nuclear facilities?
3. What impact did the Iran strike have on normalization with Sunni Arab countries, notably on Saudi Arabia?
4. Did the Israel Strike impact Iran’s transfers of missiles and drones to Russia and Proxies, Hezbollah, and Houthi rebels?
5. More than 60% of the 100 IAF F-35, F-15, and F16 were piloted by reservist members of assigned squadrons, including four women navigators. What message did that convey regarding mandatory training and practice runs to achieve the stunning result?
6. Turning to the IDF limited incursion in Lebanon, how effective has the operation been to date in destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, Radwan command and control, and resilience in the wake of the assassination of Nasrallah and succeeding cadres?
7. IDF units uncovered vast tunnels equipped with weapons and armament penetrating the border frontier with Israel virtually underneath UNIFIL observation posts in preparation for an invasion of vulnerable northern Israeli and Golan communities. What does that say about Hezbollah’s suborning of UN multi-national peacekeeping and penetration of Lebanon Forces?
8. Hezbollah continues daily rocket and drone attacks ranging across Northern and Central Israel. How effective has the Israel air defense system been, and what is the difficulty in tracking and intercepting drones? What are possible solutions?
9. How realistic are the Biden Administration’s proposals for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon, given that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are “pressuring” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut a ceasefire deal?
10. With the assassination of the late HAMAS political leader Yahya Sinwar by regular IDF troops, what are the IDF objectives and goals in cleaning up the remaining HAMAS fighting units?
11. Yuli Edelstein, Chairman of Israel’s Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, was quoted recently saying: “There will be no Entebbe type operations”- a reference to public demands for liberation and retrieval of Israeli and other hostages held by HAMAS. Does Israel have any leverage diplomatically to achieve this vital war goal in Gaza?
12. There have been “day after” proposals by Netanyahu government coalition partners about asserting Israeli sovereignty over Gaza and even establishing new Jewish settlements in the former Gush Katif areas forcibly evacuated in 2005 by the late Sharon Government. How realistic is that prospect, given international demands for returning control to the Palestine Authority with multi-Arab forces as occupying forces?
13. The IDF announced the deployment of the 669 Division along the frontier with Jordan, given increasing terrorist attacks and Iran infiltration of Muslim Brotherhood factions in the Hashemite Kingdom.
14. The Knesset passed two bills outlawing UNRWA that the UN and Western allies instantly condemned. What evidence has IDF operations uncovered regarding HAMAS terrorist fighters as UNRWA staff and command locations during Operation Swords of Iron?