Is Israel on the Verge of a Dramatic Victory?

By Jerome 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’s military doctrine and strategic options in conducting the Jewish state’s civilizational war with the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. 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, he addresses the issues behind the conflict and risks of an escalating Middle East regional war.

Watch the YouTube discussion with Brig. General (US Army retired) John Adams with the following transcript.

Background of General John Adams

John Adams retired as a Brigadier General from the U.S. Army in September 2007 after over 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. His extensive and diverse experience makes him a trusted source for insightful analysis.

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 and several NATO Allies. He is a strong supporter of the U.S. alliance with the State of Israel and NATO.

Background and Major Issues

333 Days since October 7^th, 2023, when 1,200 Israeli and other nationals were killed.  IDF Casualties exceeded 800 killed, with more than 3,500 injured. Of 252 Hostages taken on October 7, 2023, 97 remain, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead by IDF.  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.

Topics for Discussion

1. The murders of six Israeli and American hostages led to mass demonstrations in Israel demanding Netanyahu to cave on the sticking point of maintaining control of the Philadelphi corridor for a ceasefire and hostage release. What was his reply in his address to the Nation?
2. Why is the Biden Administration supporting a non-negotiable cease-fire and hostage release deal negotiated by questionable partners Egypt and Qatar?
3. Israel’s air force pulled off a last-minute preemptive attack early morning, August 25, 2024, with 200 aircraft hitting Hezbollah sites minutes before 320 rockets and drones were launched from Lebanon.  Sheik Nasrallah called it a successful phase one retaliation for the Israeli assassination of Supremo Commander Fuad Shukar. What is the reality of these actions by both sides in Israel’s North and Lebanon’s south?
4. One of the alleged targets of the Hezbollah massive barrage was the Mossad Base at Glilot and the IDF Unit 8200 Intelligence Center. What was Hezbollah’s rationale as to why they didn’t attack these Israeli Intelligence and cyber security complexes near Herzliya?

5..  Prior to this dramatic exchange, Israel’s air force had ranged in Lebanon north, hitting Hezbollah targets in the Baalbek valley. How well protected are Hezbollah’s revetments and command facilities underground, and who might have assisted in building those tunnels?

6. What was the impact on Iran and Hezbollah’s responses to the IAF attack in mid-April on the Russian-supplied S-300 air defense system near Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities?
7. Unlike Israel’s war with HAMAS in Gaza, how successful has Iran’s supply of rockets, precision-guided missiles, and Shahid drones to Hezbollah in Lebanon despite Israel’s air force “war between the wars” in Syria?
8. In a massive show of force, the US positioned two powerful carrier battle groups and a nuclear-armed Trident missile submarine in the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea. What message did the Biden Administration send to Iran and its proxies in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea?
9. In the ongoing conflict between Israel and HAMAS in Gaza, the IDF has gained control of the Philadelphi border tunnel complex with Egypt, access to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the areas of Rafah, Netzarim, and the Humanitarian Corridors in the enclave’s North and center, using air, ground, and naval forces. Has that weakened Hamas and isolated their commanders?
10. Brig. General Dan Goldfuss, commander of IDF 98th Division, mentioned in an interview that they were minutes away from seizing Yahyah Sinwar, who has resorted to appearing above ground dressed as a woman in a hijab. How successful has Sinwar been in maintaining communications discipline and thwarting negotiations, while stalling the release of Israeli hostages, alive and dead?
11. How effective have the published interviews and commentary of urban warfare experts like former UK Lt. Col. Richard Kemp and John Spencer, retired US Army Major and Director of West Point Center for Modern Warfare, been in countering misinformed media reports on the effectiveness of IDF ground operations against HAMAS in Gaza?
12. Maj. General Aharon Halevi, Former Director of IDF Military Intelligence, apologized in remarks at his retirement and change in command for his failure to prevent the October 7th HAMAS pogrom.  What have been the interim findings from the investigation demonstrative of the failures of the IDF intelligence directorate to forward warning reports from unarmed IDF GAZA border Unit 8200 women observers, many of whom were killed or taken as hostages?
13. Reports from IAEA inspectors and the analysis of the Washington-based Institute for International Security and Science have determined that Iran is weeks away from having sufficient highly enriched uranium to assemble deliverable nuclear weapons, including possible miniature warheads for ballistic missiles. Does Israel have the capabilities to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities should a US-led strike not be possible for political and diplomatic reasons?
14. Resilience of Israel and the Jewish People – The Wall Street Journal: IDF Unit 8200 Incubator of Technology Entrepreneurs.