Former Israeli Navy chief: Israel must prepare for recurring wars with Iran despite US deal

Former Israeli Navy Commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom warned that Israel should prepare for a prolonged conflict with Iran marked by recurring military confrontations, arguing that any agreement between Washington and Tehran is unlikely to bring lasting stability to the region.

Speaking to Israel's 103FM radio on Monday, Marom said Israel should expect repeated rounds of fighting with the Islamic Republic, regardless of any diplomatic breakthrough.

"We are in a long war with Iran, and Israel needs to prepare every few months for an operation or war with Iran that will last several days or weeks," Marom warned.

"If the agreement is signed, we need to understand that and prepare for it."

Marom expressed skepticism about the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), arguing that the Middle East has entered a new phase in which diplomatic agreements may actually increase the likelihood of future military escalation rather than reduce it.

“President Trump, in what he signed last night, is approving Iran's conquest of Lebanon. Do you understand that?”

“He is now signing an agreement with the Iranians about Lebanon. The president of Lebanon should be offended by this, and all the leaders in the Middle East who are listening to this, Sisi, Erdogan, and bin Salman, should understand that this is a bad agreement,” Marom said.

He suggested that Israel should make its own agreement with Lebanon. “The IDF recommended doing this earlier; let's move quickly toward an agreement on Lebanon, and along the way thwart Iran's taking over Lebanon. The only thing that can be done diplomatically right now is to close an agreement with the Lebanese and say that once the Lebanese Army is strong enough, we will give southern Lebanon back to it. President Aoun accepts this, and we need to move along this path.”

When asked about the possibility of escalation over Lebanon, he responded: “And what will happen if Iran responds to every Israeli action on Lebanese soil? Then let there be missiles, please. This agreement is bad for us in any case. If they want to return to fighting? I hate to say it, but from Israel's perspective, this is a preferable alternative.”

During the interview, Marom sharply criticized the Israeli government, specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The inner circle around the prime minister does not exist,” Marom said. “One person is making decisions, and here even Ron Dermer, who understands America and did good things with this administration, simply left and went. He should be called up for reserve duty.”

Dermer, long considered Netanyahu's closest political confidant, resigned from the government in November after extending his tenure as Strategic Affairs minister.

The former navy commander also addressed Iran’s nuclear program.

“There is no reason to believe the Iranians,” he said. “They have enriched uranium in Iran, and the oversight is not entirely clear; that is the cornerstone of any agreement on the nuclear issue. How do they suddenly have uranium enriched to 60%? Isn't that a violation? It is a complete violation.”

“They are highly motivated to obtain nuclear weapons, because despite all their bravado, they understand that Israel made a mockery of their air defenses,” he added.

Marom argued that shared U.S. strategic interests will ultimately keep Washington firmly aligned with Israel, even if current developments suggest otherwise.

“Israel is not alone – we do not need the Americans; we did it excellently in the 12-day war. Beyond values, there are interests, and the American interest is that Israel be here in the Middle East; there is nothing like Israel, and they know that very well," he said. “Beyond that, the political system, even with all the bad polls, when you ask an American, he will tell you that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and that he will not let it fall. There may be brakes, but that's fine.”