Middle East forces preparing for battle

For the past few weeks reports have emerged that Israel is preparing an attack on Iran. Reportedly it involved cooperation between Israel's navy and the Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy in charting waters for an Israeli naval attack and use of special operations forces. Additional preparations were made to mark out an Israeli air route for a strike against Iran. This coincides with a U.S. buildup in the Persian Gulf including the deployment of anti-missile defenses in various Gulf nations and on U.S. naval ships. Another part of the U.S. buildup is the formation of a 30,000 strong force to defend oil platforms and other crucial infrastructure.

Due to these preparations there has been an escalation of rhetoric between Syria and Israel. Syria's Foreign Minister warned that an Israeli attack on Lebanon or Syria would result in an all-out war that would bring the conflict to Israel's cities. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned any war with Syria would mean the end of President Bashar Assad's regime. In the midst of this public sabre-rattling Iran is reported to have shipped some 100 medium-range surface-to-surface missiles to Syria in January.

Hezbollah has raised the alert level of its forces in Lebanon. Members of the group were told to prepare for a possible Israeli strike. Hezbollah has made some of the most extensive preparations reportedly forming up five brigades totaling 5,000 troops trained in urban combat and special operation to launch an invasion of Northern Israel. These troops are said to reach the same level of training as U.S. and Israeli forces. The plan would also include instigating revolts by Israeli Arabs. Syria would reportedly support them using air and artillery strikes and could open another front from the Golan Heights.

Naturally such a conflict will come to include Hamas attacking from the south. Their preparations for war have accelerated since Operation Cast Lead in  December 2008 and January 2009. Part of this preparation has been the gathering of some 5,000 rockets including missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv. One Lebanese analyst has said Hamas has become as capable as Hezbollah in 2006. Among the capabilities they have gained is the the use of multiple explosive devices capable of destroying a Merkava tank as Hezbollah did in the 2006 war. Other anti-tank weapons used by Hezbollah to destroy Israeli tanks have been acquired by Hamas as well. They have also acquired the ability to attack Israeli helicopters, which was not a capability of Hezbollah during the war.

A few capabilities such as upgraded SA-2s for Hezbollah and S-300s for Iran have yet to be put in play, but if they are it will greatly enhance the abilities of the Iranian-aligned forces in the Middle East. Despite bragging by Western and Gulf nations about their superiority to Iran its ability to create problems for the region only increases as time passes. Israel should be worried most of all as the combined strength of Hezbollah, Syria, and Hamas together with some assistance from Iran will likely prove difficult for them to defeat by conventional means.