Too many IDF officials are oblivious to the cliché saying, "no one has ever regretted something they didn't say." That's the only way to explain to the torrent of statements by IDF officials over the past few weeks.
It started with Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman, who said that "Russia is dominant because of friction, disruption, and intervention. It partially initiates discord and then presents solutions possible because of its presence in the region," a remark he made only a few days after saying that the IDF knows the condition of Hezbollah's missile arsenal better that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who recently threatened Israel with more powerful weapons.
Then came a statement by newly minted GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, who said that in a future war, "Israel will exact a heavy price from Hezbollah."
IDF generals, it seems, can get the military's approval for everything these days: speaking engagements, lectures, interviews, etc. Usually, these engagements are coordinated by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, meaning the content is screened by the proper professional elements before these officers actually go public with any remark. Heyman and Baram would have done so as well, meaning their remarks were not the result of a spontaneous whim, but rather they reflected an organizational trend.
This raises the question of why the IDF feels it has to boast about its abilities and brag about its accomplishments. What good does it do to take a jab at the Russians or insult Nasrallah personally?
Israel is no stranger to this type of hubris. Most notably, this was the situation before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when it was the direct result of the IDF's stunning victory in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Since then, more than a few politicians and generals have made statements we would have been better without, not only because in hindsight things turned out to be far from reality, but also because words matter. These statements carry a certain weight at home, abroad, and certainly with the enemy.
In recent years, Israel has been waging an impressive campaign in its northern sector as part of the "campaign between the wars" – a strategic concept that encompasses a host of covert and low-intensity military and intelligence efforts to prevent enemy states and terrorist organizations from becoming stronger and thwart their offensive activity.
This sees daily military efforts against Iran's desire to increase its foothold in Syria; against the attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon, and against Hezbollah's aggression in the Golan Heights. The majority of these operations are classified and those involved make it a point to keep quiet, knowing that any remark can cause double the damage: it may expose operational or intelligence information, and it may force the enemy to respond.
The past year has seen a troubling increase in this torrent of statements by Israeli officials. Sometimes it is used as a means of sending a message, but too often it's part of a battle for credit or simply the result of the desire to boast. This is unnecessary and moreover, it's dangerous. The IDF should focus on the missions at hand, and leave the flamboyant rhetoric to Nasrallah and his Iranian and Syrian patrons.
