Hamas is planning a major terrorist attack to scuttle an upcoming peace conference, Israel’s military intelligence chief said.
Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, briefing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday, said the Palestinian Islamist group is trying to launch a “spectacular” attack on Israel to prompt it to withdraw from the autumn U.S.-sponsored Middle East parley between Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel recently stepped up its operations against Hamas and fellow terrorist groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Turning to other regional foes, Yadlin said although Israel suffered setbacks in the Lebanon war, it has since managed to restore its ability to project “deterrence,” or superior military power, in the face of Syria. He had no direct comment on this month’s alleged Israeli airstrike against strategic targets in Syria.
Yadlin noted further that while the Iranian nuclear program has yet to reach fruition, the Tehran regime is behaving as though it has “crossed the line” and attained the bomb.
