Brig. Chaim Laskov, chief of staff of the Israel Army of Defense, told his forces today that the unification trend among the Arab States would lead militarily, to a unification of all armed forces which would mean the complete land encirclement of Israel by the Arab army.
In an interview in Bamachaneh, the Army weekly, on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, Brig. Laskov stressed that such an encirclement would result in grave deterioration of the Israeli security situation in view of the fact that, geographically, Israel could have no depth of defense.
This, he said, compelled Israel to seek to strengthen its security by four measures: improved quality of arms and better training in their use, development of more effective methods of warfare, intensified cooperation of the various defense branches and increased firepower of small units.
The Israel Army of Defense, said Brig. Laskov, must be prepared during the years ahead, to fight for Israel’s sovereignty, to protect the freely chosen government from external plots and to fight for the basic goals of the State such as the conquest of the desert and the ingathering of the exiles.
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