Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA 23 July 2014: Now that we are starting to
appreciate just how dangerous the tunnels running from Gaza to Israel are,
the question has been raised as to how much use could have already been made
of these tunnels to bring sleeper cells into Israel. Last November I raised
the issue of Hamas reconnaissance balloons, suggesting that they make it
possible for Hamas to use the tunnels without detection.

=====
Hamas reconnaissance balloons coordinating cross border tunnel operations?
Dr. Aaron Lerner- IMRA 22 November 2013

Is Hamas using reconnaissance balloons with night vision to coordinate cross
border tunnel operations?

Yesterday Walla news reported that Hamas has deployed reconnaissance
balloons to spy deep into Israel and in the report Southern Brigade
Commander of the Gaza Division Amos Hacohen warned that this is very serious
activity but indicated that the IDF has no plans to take any action against
them except possibly restricting the supply of helium to the Gaza Strip.

Hacohen was reflecting the "quiet for quiet" doctrine according to which
Israel will not take any action whatsoever against Hamas military activity
and preparations as long as they do not shoot (much).

Instead, Hamas military preparations - no matter how dangerous - are added
to the ever growing "target bank" of targets Israel can hit in the event of
a tit-for-tat exchange of fire.

To be clear: there is absolutely no reason to believe that the
reconnaissance balloons now deployed by Hamas are not now providing a live
feed to Hamas command centers.

We also know that Hamas has scores of tunnels that emerge in various
locations inside Israel.

To review:

Hamas has deployed technology that could no doubt provide a real time view
of the exit points of their tunnels in Israel.

And if the cameras on the balloons include night vision cameras, Hamas also
has a real time view of the exit points of their tunnels in Israel in the
middle of the night.

To connect the dots:

If Hamas enjoys a real time night view of the exit points of the tunnels,
they are in an excellent position to coordinate undetected entry and exit
from the tunnels.

They are also in an excellent position to coordinate the movement of their
forces from the tunnel end points to targets inside Israel undetected
=========================
IDF doing nothing against Hamas reconnaissance balloons
Dr. Aaron Lerner- IMRA 21 November 2013

Walla news reports that Hamas has deployed reconnaissance balloons to spy
deep into Israel.

While Southern Brigade Commander of the Gaza Division Amos Hacohen notes in
an interview in the video report that this is very serious activity, he
indicates that the IDF has no plans to take any action against them except
possibly restricting the supply of helium to the Gaza Strip.

Hacohen also points at a destroyed spy camera on the top of a Gaza Strip
water tower near the line as an example of action that the IDF has taken
against such spy activity. Hacohen explains tat the spy camera was included
in the "target bank" prepared by the IDF before that last major operation
and in the course of the tit-for-tat between the IDF and the Palestinians.
Israeli tank fire destroyed the camera.

For the report:
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/550/2696726

To be clear: Southern Brigade Commander of the Gaza Division Amos Hacohen
wasn't complaining that the IDF deals with such dangerous threats by, at
most, simply logging them into the ever growing "target bank".

Not to worry : if this ultimately leads to a disaster there will be a
fantastic commission of inquiry.

Speaking of disasters-in-the-waiting: Israeli military intelligence has
noted the Hizbullah is gaining tremendous experience in large scale
conventional warfare in Syria. At the same time, Hizbullah officials have
been saying that in the next round with Israel that they plan to make a
quick grab of Israeli territory which they claim should be part of Lebanon.

So the question is: Israeli military intelligence has noted the Hizbullah
is gaining tremendous experience in large scale conventional warfare in
Syria. Does the Israeli military have the intelligence to connect the dots
and prepare to handle a quick move into Israel by many hundreds of Hizbullah
troops in a Hizbullah operation designed after years of carefully monitoring
the IDF near the border - and with real time surveillance capability to be
able to track literally every IDF vehicle and soldier in the area as the IDF
responds to the invasion?
________________________________________
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