Israeli top brass warns of risks of another escalation in region

TEL AVIV, October 15. /TASS/. Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Army Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has warned of a threat of another spiral of escalation in the Middle East.

"In light of the increased number of alerts across all fronts and the sensitivity of this period, the potential for escalation has grown," he said at a situational assessment and operational briefing at Central Command, as quoted by the army press service.

According to Zamir, the Israeli army units have been reinforced in all areas of their deployment, and their level of readiness has been raised. "We continue preparing for scenarios in which attempts may be made to catch us by surprise," he stated.

"During this sensitive period, we must maintain vigilance and readiness on every front, preserve our freedom of operation, and swiftly thwart threats," he stressed. "We pursue and combat terrorism wherever it exists. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces - TASS) is at a high level of readiness to launch extensive offensive operations against anyone who attempts to harm Israeli civilians."