"We are on the escalation line at the point where it is really very close to a regional war," Major-General (res.) Israel Ziv said in a conversation with radio 103FM on Monday, amid the heightened tensions with Hezbollah and Iran.
"Somehow, the scope of the fire and the intensity is kept at a certain level that Israel manages to cope with, even though the prices of what is happening in the North, the political and economic prices are quite high.
"It is clear that this is heading towards a more serious escalation," Ziv noted, adding, "I don't think any of us really know, even within the [security] system, what exactly the Iranians and Hezbollah intend to do."
With regard to the IDF's operation in Gaza, Ziv said, "There are very significant achievements that the IDF and the State of Israel have made. Gaza has gone back 30-40 years."
However, he added, "It has reached a point where the efficiency starts to decrease because there is a re-recovery. That's why you go back there every time. Now, we are in the process of preventing regeneration. There is a higher goal—to return the hostages."
Ziv also discussed the hostage deal summit expected to take place on Thursday, noting, "Hamas said they gave their consent. They accepted the outline that Biden proposed on the basis of Netanyahu. The one who introduced the changes is the State of Israel."
Hostage deal
"Hamas is signaling that it is ready to go to a ceasefire. In this regard, Israel can even raise other, more distant demands, not only in the context of aid. For all this, US President Joe Biden says that he is giving a last chance. They are already in the middle of the election. He would be happy not to have to take care of it.
"This chance is also a good starting point for Israel and also prevents everything we mentioned as a possibility for escalation. Israel has much more to gain in reaching exactly this intersection as an opportunity and not as a political risk."
Regarding the objections within the coalition, he said, "Who is it coming from? From the expert Smotrich, who destroyed the economy here? Where is his cabinet? Your recovery is about to fall apart. What are we talking about?".
Regarding the public diplomacy front, Ziv said, "Israel is already at a much lower level of legitimacy. The motivation to help out of a crisis of confidence, especially in front of the prime minister, is great.