"The IDF and Israel have the best active defense on the planet," Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of the IDF's Operations Directorate, said on Thursday.
Haliva, who was speaking at the Annual International Conference sponsored by the Institute for National Security Studies, added: "The response that Israel can provide to threats such as a cruise missile strike is better than what occurred in Saudi Arabia. I advise our enemies not to test us."
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Addressing tensions with Iran, Haliva said: "The Persians invented chess, but I've met Jews who can perform a checkmate. The IDF has continued throughout the past year to prevent Iranian entrenchment in the area. We are fighting on six fronts plus one, which is Iran. We are looking at these fronts all day and mainly at night.
"The campaign between the wars will go on. The Russian actor is extremely significant in the arena. There are two events here with the potential to cause a strategic change – the [Qassem] Soleimani assassination and the deal of the century. These are significant events. If you'd asked me before the Soleimani assassination whether I thought the US would do it, I'd have said no. If we have to use force we will do so quickly and precisely and make the balance of power clear to the other side," said Haliva.
Discussing the recent rise in tensions with the Palestinians, following the publication of the Trump peace plan and the possibility of annexation of the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria, Haliva said, "The IDF will be able to provide security to Israel in the wake of any decision by the political echelon. We are prepared regardless of the Trump plan for an outbreak of violence on all fronts.
"We reinforced several battalions in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza area. We will be able to activate our forces accordingly," he told the audience.
