The IDF's intelligence branch thinks that Iran could fire missiles at Israel like the ones it sent flying at a Saudi oil field last week, the head of Military Intelligence's Research Division, Brig. Gen. Dror Shalom, told Israel Hayom in a special Rosh Hashanah interview.
According to Shalom, the military's working assumption is that Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, would be the one to oversee a missile attack of that type, which Shalom said could be launched from Iraqi territory.
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"In the end, when he [Soleimani] takes a hit to the nose, he wants to hit back, and he has taken some blows recently. So my working assumption is that it's only a matter of time until he tries," Shalom says.
"It could be in the form of a surface-to-surface missile, cruise missiles, or long-range UAVs. He has UAVs that can fly 1,000-1,200 kilometers (600-1200 miles) which he has used in the Persian Gulf," Shalom says.
Shalom expressed major concern about the progress Iran is making with its nuclear program, saying that Military Intelligence might be forced to divert resources to address the issue.
"I'm a lot less easy today. We've gotten into a gray area in which they're moving ahead without, which requires us to be a lot more sensitive. Will we know [about an attack]? The Iranians are a very sophisticated enemy, and it bothers me."
According to Shalom, the chance of a major escalation between Israel and Iran is more likely now than it was in the past.
"We're living in a much more complicated reality, which is only getting worse. We are starting to approach the level of war," he warns.
Shalom also said the same volatility existed on Israel's other fronts, although Iran remained the biggest threat.
"We're in a dangerous round with Iran, and we need to keep a strong grip on the wheel," he says. However, he adds, Israel has room to maneuver, although that room should be used "with great caution."
He also thinks that if Israel adheres to a tough policy on Hezbollah's precision-guided missile project, the organization might give it up, even though it would come at the price of battles against Hezbollah.
Shalom characterizes Hezbollah's missiles as a "serious strategic threat," but stresses that Hezbollah does not currently have precision missiles in Lebanese territory.
