According to the former Israel Air Force commander, the sides have yet to reach a full, formal agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now, there is still no agreement,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is more or less an understanding that Iran will control entry into the strait, but regarding the exit from the Gulf, it is still unclear whether it will have control or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second issue is that Iran is demanding a certain commission, while Oman is demanding less,\u201d he added. \u201cOne side is demanding around 7%, while the other is asking for only 3%, and the United States is demanding that there be no payment at all. We often hear inaccurate reports, not to mention outright fake news, and that is true this time as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Israeli Air Force commander Eitan Ben Eliyahu. November 11, 2019. (credit: MOSHE SHAI\/FLASH90)Iran\u2019s strategy and Trump\u2019s military leverage<\/p>\n
Ben Eliyahu then addressed the possibility that Tehran was misleading Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Iranians operate in a way that the American president does not understand,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my opinion, he does not understand this mentality. We barely understand it either. Perhaps we understand it a little better, but we do not respond as we should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not exactly \u2018deception,\u2019\u201d he added. \u201cThey raised an idea that, from their perspective, is a good one. It says: \u2018Leave the Americans out of it. This is our business with the Omanis, and in this way, we will overcome the restrictions of international law, because if it is only us, then it is an absolute problem.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIn other words, it would be completely prohibited under international law. If an agreement is reached with Oman, it creates an opening in international law. That is also why they are ignoring the Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether this would constitute a concession from the US perspective, Ben Eliyahu gave a clear answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cI do not know whether Trump will go along with it, and I do not know what power he has not to go along with it. His military leverage is gradually weakening, and I would say that he is almost losing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then criticized the conduct of the US president.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many times can you attack?\u201d Ben Eliyahu said. \u201cHow many times can you cry wolf when it does no good, and how many times can you attack and achieve a result? At a certain point, achievements, resilience, and endurance are not measured by economic damage or by attacks on symbols of government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Iranians are reaching a point where they are prepared to sacrifice themselves, to hold out to the death and to the last soldier,\u201d he continued. \u201cWhen you reach that point, the use of force loses its leverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you ask the most important question: When is the right moment? The other side has an almost unlimited capacity for attrition. So where is the point at which you stop? Where do you begin to make concessions?\u201d<\/p>\n
Interceptor shortages strain regional defenses<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Eliyahu also addressed the contentious issue raised by recent reports of a severe munitions shortage, according to which the US had depleted nearly 80% of its air-defense interceptor stockpile<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not have definitive information, and nobody does,\u201d he said. \u201cThe issue is that the matter was brought to the surface when that general at the command in Europe expressed it. So there is some kind of problem. Now the argument begins: Is it 60%, 70%, or 80%? It does not matter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the defense were only for Israel, it would be a form of point defense,\u201d he continued. \u201cAre all the missiles aimed at Israel? You deploy here, and you have Israeli and American missiles, and for every anticipated scenario, you have reasonable protection.<\/p>\n