Amidst the security tensions and concerns about an Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel, Yehoshua, the military analyst for *Yediot Achronot* and i24 News, shared additional insights about the preparations for the Iranian response across the country.
In an interview with Radio 103FM, Yehoshua warned that the uncertainty regarding the nature of the response is unprecedented — with Hezbollah potentially starting an attack at any moment and with little warning.
"The uncertainty is an event we are not accustomed to — certainly not after the events in April," Yehoshua said. "In that Iranian attack, the intelligence was somewhat ahead of the Americans regarding the timing, and we had enough time to prepare for drone launches, a 10-hour range. Here, the situation is different because of Hezbollah; they are right over the fence and we don’t have the time to prepare. Hezbollah could launch from their launchers quickly. If you can make 100 percent assessments, it’s good to set expectations. An hour later, Hezbollah could make a different decision and launch; it is fundamentally different from what we are familiar with from Iran."
He added, "Hezbollah wants to attack us, but the question of pain does not mean they want to enter a full-scale war — because if they did, they would have already done so. They can choose military targets. There are still some Radwan forces there, but not many. Most of the Radwan force has retreated from the contact line. The targets that were there for attack remain, but there are still many Hezbollah targets that can be engaged even along the contact line. Before the war, Hezbollah took a series of steps; if Nasrallah had given the green light to his Galilee conquest plan, I’m not sure we would be having this conversation as it is."
Yehoshua advised everyone to heed the Home Front Command’s instructions. "When there is intelligence warning of an attack, they will change the guidelines. The next instruction will be to stay close to protected areas, and the maximum will be to stay in protected areas," he urged the public. "The Home Front Command manages this responsibly because we need to maintain routine. The intelligence on Hezbollah in Lebanon is good, but the time range in which Hezbollah can launch is very short. It could be a matter of minutes regarding their decision to do so."
In conclusion, Yehoshua stated, "The intelligence assessment indicates that they do not want to enter a full-scale war, but the asterisk is: the intelligence gaps of the IDF not just on October 7, but on the recent April event. No one assessed in April that Iran would respond to the assassination with a launch of 500 items. No country in the world has all the defence systems we have, and no country is as protected as Israel. In Beirut, there is no Iron Dome; the other side will suffer much more."