Fight to the Finish  

There are more questions than answers as Israel appears ready to embark on a full-scale war that was forced on it in the aftermath of a savage massacre of innocent Jews on the final day of our most joyous holiday. Can another colossal Israeli intelligence failure to foresee this attack be fixed, and if so, when? Will we succeed in landing a decisive blow against our enemies, and what would an ultimate victory in Gaza look like? How long can Israel count on international support? And will this war doom or bloom normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia? Three former National Security Council advisors, and former UN Ambassador Danny Danon, share their views on all this and more.

Israel’s nightmare scenario turned into a rude awakening on what should have been the most joyous day of the year.

For years, security forces have warned the citizenry that Hezbollah was training along the Lebanese border to infiltrate into Israeli territory, capture small villages, and take hostages.

To anyone who lived in a border community and was assaulted by the noise from Hezbollah excavations, such a scenario was not farfetched.

Then, a couple of weeks before Rosh Hashanah, security officials issued hot warnings that terrorists planned to attack synagogues and public gatherings during the holidays. Worshippers licensed to bear arms were asked to bring them to services and inform the gabbaim, who would situate them strategically throughout the shuls.