Showing posts with label IDF. Show all posts

Sunday, September 14, 2014

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants
*Israel, Palestinians Agree on Long-Term Gaza Ceasefire

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 14, 2014: Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday agreed on a long-term Egyptian-brokered ceasefire to end the devastating 50-day war in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has killed over 2,200 people.

"An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Zuhri said Egypt was expected to make an official announcement on the deal.

Cairo's initiative, Palestinians officials said, called for an indefinite halt to seven weeks of hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the enclave's fishing zone in the Mediterranean, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Under a second stage that would begin a month later, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and an Israeli release of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank, the officials said.

A senior Palestinian official also confirmed that the Palestinians have reached an agreement with Israel on a "permanent" truce in Gaza.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the claimed deal to end the deadly conflict in and around the enclave.

The Palestinian official gave no time for when a ceasefire would take effect but said President Mahmud Abbas would give further details in a speech from his West Bank headquarters at 1600 GMT (2130 IST). "The contacts that have been going on have led to a permanent ceasefire, a (deal to) end the blockade and a guarantee that Gaza's demands and needs will be met," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Islamist Hamas movement, de facto ruler of Gaza and party to the Abbas-led efforts to agree a truce, also said a deal had been struck with Israel. "The negotiations ended with an agreement which embodies the resistance of our people and a victory for the resistance," its exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuk wrote on his Facebook page.

The Palestinian official said the truce deal had been finalised after 48 hours of intensive shuttle diplomacy by Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Palestinian delegation to the protracted, on-off truce talks in Cairo. "Over the past 48 hours, he has been shuttling between the leadership of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, all the factions, and Egyptian leaders, travelling between Ramallah, Gaza, Doha and overseas," the official said.

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Isareli Operation Continues

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Isareli Operation Continues

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 24, 2014: Israel soldiers sit in the shadow of a military vehicle at an undisclosed location along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in Israel, August 22, 2014.

Israel had withdrawn its ground troops out of Gaza earlier in August but there have been calls by hardliners in the Israeli government to increase the military's operations against Hamas and other militant groups.

Israel's cabinet was reportedly considering calling up 10,000 reservists.
(EPA/ATEF SAFADI)

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Gaza conflict - Is Israel's Mission Accomplished?

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Gaza conflict - Is Israel's Mission Accomplished?

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 24, 2014: A Palestinian man holding a Palestinian national flag argues with an Israeli policewoman, during a protest against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, in the West Bank city of Hebron August 22, 2014.

(REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Ground Troops Enter Gaza after 10 Days of Bombings And Airstrikes As Hamas Threatens To Make IDF Pay A 'High Price'

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Ground Troops Enter Gaza after 10 Days of Bombings And Airstrikes As Hamas Threatens To Make IDF Pay A 'High Price'
*Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the ground offensive in a bid to halt rockets being fired at Israel
*The ground operation will include infantry, artillery and armored corps, along with aerial and naval support
*Hamas: Israel will pay a heavy price for its ground operation
*Israel and Palestine have been fighting an intense cross border war for the past 10 days as other nations fail to help them come to a truce
*240 people have been killed in Gaza - including seven children on Thursday - and 1,800 have been injured; one person has died in Israel
*Israel had called up 48,000 reserve soldiers

*Later on Thursday the Cabinet authorized the military to call up 18,000 more

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP, Reuters & James Nye
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 19, 2014: Israel resumed its air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday a day after holding its fire in deference to an Egyptian-proposed cease-fire deal that failed to get Hamas militants to halt rocket attacks.

Hamas has vowed that Israel will 'pay a high price' for their 'foolish' actions after their military began a ground invasion of Gaza on Thursday evening.

Thousands of troops from the Israel Defense Force backed by tanks launched amphibious, air and ground incursions into the narrow Gaza strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military action in a bid to stop rockets being fired from Gaza.

The assault, which began at 10pm local time, followed a heavy barrage of rockets fired at Tel Aviv by Hamas militants from Gaza who have promised 'dreadful consequences' for Israel in the aftermath of the invasion.

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Blaze: Smoke from flares rises in the sky in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza strip as Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive

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Blast: A picture taken on Thursday shows an explosion following an Israeli strike in Gaza City

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Heavy attack: An Israeli rocket is fired into the northern Gaza Strip on July 17, 2014 as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday instructed the military to begin a ground offensive in Gaza

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Tracer: An Israeli rocket is fired into the northern Gaza Strip July 17, 2014. The Israeli military says Gaza militants have fired more than 1,300 rockets into Israel

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Full scale assault: An Israeli missile hits Palestinian buildings in Gaza City

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Detonations: An Israeli army flare illuminating the sky above the northern Gaza strip on 17 July 2014 as members of the IDF begin their invasion

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Response: Palestinian missiles are fired from Gaza City toward Israel following Israeli air strikes on July 17, 2014. Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza late Thursday on the 10th day of an offensive to stamp out rocket attacks

Obama says US supports Israel's right to self-defense

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IDF soldier prepares: Israel announced the start of a Gaza ground campaign on Thursday after 10 days of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop persistent Palestinian rocket attacks, but it signalled the invasion would be limited in scope

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Forces mass: Israeli Markava tanks heading toward the Israeli Gaza border, 18 July 2014. The Israeli military launched a ground operation overnight in the Gaza Strip, following the failure of ceasefire efforts after a 10-day air campaign

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Power: The Israeli military launched a ground offensive on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday night after days of heavy bombardment, the IDF said

The IDF's attack follows a brief humanitarian truce and despite an appeal from Washington, which cautioned against a land assault and for Israel to do more to protect civilian lives.

'The prime minister and defense minister have instructed the IDF to begin a ground operation tonight in order to hit the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel,' the official statement said as military officials announced that an additional 18,000 reservists have been called up to bolster the 48,000 already summoned.

The operation will include 'infantry, armored corps, engineer corps, artillery and intelligence combined with aerial and naval support', a statement from the Israeli military added.

The army said the aim of the operation is to protect Israeli lives and crush Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The objective was 'to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continued indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure'.

And in extraordinary scenes played out live on CNN, Israeli's gathered on a hill and cheered as missiles launched by their military hit targets inside Gaza.

So incensed by this was British reporter, Magnay, that she took to Twitter to express her disgust after she claims she was intimidated by the baying mob.

'Israelis on hill above Sderot cheer as bombs land on #gaza; threaten to 'destroy our car if i say a word wrong'. Scum'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2695422/Hamas-Israel-resume-attacks-brief-truce.html#ixzz37zntZWe2
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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP, Reuters & James Nye
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Troops Enter Gaza To Take Out Missile Sites

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Troops Enter Gaza To Take Out Missile Sites

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Dean Schabner - ABC +
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 13, 2014: Israeli ground troops entered northern Gaza tonight to take out a number of missile launch sites, according to the Israeli military.
The move comes after weeks of growing tensions and nearly a week of escalating missile strikes from both sides.

The mission was launched early Sunday local time comes after the UN Security Council urged the two sides to reach a cease fire, and the Israeli government said it hit northern Gaza "with great force" to prevent more Hamas rocket attacks.

The IDF, the Israeli military, said its goal in crossing into northern Gaza was to dismantle some of the sites that Hamas militants have been using to launch rockets into northern Israel.

During the incursion there was an exchange of fire with militants that left four Israeli soldiers lightly wounded, according to the IDF.

The IDF troops returned to Israel after the mission, and no soldiers were left in Gaza, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli naval commando raid in Gaza reported earlier occurred in the Al-Sudaniya beach to the northwest of the Strip, Al Jazeera reported.

The Israeli force encountered Palestinian gunmen, and a battle ensued that included the use of heavy arms. Palestinian sources said three Hamas fighters were killed, DPA reported.

What is not clear is whether this brief surge into northern Gaza by the Israeli military is a pre-cursor to a full scale ground invasion, but all along the road toward northern Gaza ABC News correspondents have seen what appear to be the preparations for one. There are tanks and troops amassed by the border.

The Israeli military has been saying for a couple of days that it is ready, and tens of thousands of troops have been mobilized in support of a potential ground invasion.

The IDF had earlier warned residents of the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes, saying it was for their own safety.

The conflict had already escalated Saturday, with Hamas bombarding Tel Aviv with the most rockets yet, and Israel responding by pummeling the Gaza Strip.

In the five days of bombardment by Israeli missiles, more than 156 Palestinians have been killed, according to officials there.

One of the Israeli strikes hit a center for the disabled where Palestinians said two patients were killed and four people seriously hurt. In a second attack, on Saturday evening, an Israeli warplane flattened the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque as evening prayers ended, killing at least 18 people, officials said.

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Dean Schabner - ABC +
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan
*Exercise in Golan Heights aims to test army readiness and fitness in North and Central Commands, Artillery Corps

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Lappin - Jerusalem Post

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 19, 2012: The IDF launched a surprise drill early Wednesday morning on the Golan Heights.

Units were scrambled to the North without warning following an order was given by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz.

The exercise is aimed at testing the fitness and readiness of several IDF units, with the Artillery Corps taking up center stage.

The Air Force has joined units from the IDF's Northern and Central Commands to take part in the drill. Other military forces are also taking part.

The exercise will end with a live fire exercise on Wednesday afternoon.

"This drill is part of a routine program of checks and surprise exercises held throughout the year by the IDF Comptroller. It is being held under the command of Brig.-Gen. Roee Riptin, who is the chief artillery officer," the IDF Spokesman's Unit said.

Sources in the IDF said the drill was planned ahead of time, and that it should not be seen as a sign of a change in the level of alert.

It comes on the heels of a major Golani Brigade infantry and Armored Corps drill, which was was jointly held in the Golan Heights over recent weeks.

Related News from Haaretz

*IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan Heights

The drill, to include Northern Command, Central Command, and Air Force troops, is meant to test the IDF’s readiness for an ‘emergency situation.

The Israel Defense Forces General Staff launched a comprehensive surprise drill on Wednesday, which will include the airlifting of forces to the Golan Heights and a live fire exercise, set to take place later in the evening.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz notified the units involved in the drill overnight, as the drill is meant to test the level of preparation of various units, including the Northern Command, Central Command, Air Force, and others.

The units involved specialize in offensive firepower, and for this reason they were chosen to participate in the drill, meant to test their readiness for an emergency situation.

The drill itself is expected to end in the evening, and is being overseen by the IDF’s Chief Artillery Officer, Brig. Gen. Roei Riftin, and is part of IDF efforts to examine the quality of operations, led by the IDF comptroller.

The drill was planned ahead of time and does not suggest the IDF has raised its level of preparation. However, such a test of the IDF’s ability to move a large number of forces from the Central Command to the Golan Heights, by way of helicopters, and to hold a comprehensive live-fire drill, examines the IDF’s ability to launch a serious military operation or even go to war.

A similar surprise drill was held on Yom Kippur Eve last year, involving two IDF divisions, which focused on testing the level of preparation for reserve units for emergency call-ups. Last year’s drill involved the emergency call-up of two reserve combat companies from the Central Command. Then, an IDF official said that holding the drill right before Yom Kippur was “more than a coincidence.”

Last week, the IDF began work on reinforcing the fence on the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights. Plans drafted by the IDF Northern Command call for placing dozens of new information-gathering sensors along the fence, electrifying parts of it so that it will warn of intruders, and laying mines along parts of the border.

Over the years, severe weather in the Golan Heights has battered the fence to the point where in certain places, it barely exists.

The Northern Command's main concern is the possibility that terrorists will try to launch a cross-border attack on IDF soldiers or on Israeli communities in the Golan. The army's assumption is that the deteriorating situation in Syria is liable to lead to an increase in terrorist activity near the border. Army sources said the volume of attempts to penetrate the border has already increased.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Lappin - Jerusalem Post
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel To Upgrade Air Force With F-35 Advanced Aircrafts

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel To Upgrade Air Force With F-35 Advanced Aircrafts

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By: Hanan Greenberg - Almonitor

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 9, 2012: Not long ago, a thick cloud of rumors settled on the new, much-talked-about IDF [Israel Defense Forces] acquisition of 20 F-35's, a fighter plane known as the Stealth produced by the American Lockheed Martin Company. There were rumors regarding production slowdowns and delays of the F-35, known as the “fifth generation fighter plane” (in contrast to the Israeli fourth-generation F-16's). The fear is that they will reach Israel very late — too late to serve the IDF in coping with future challenges.

Lockheed Martin officials rarely circulate official statements regarding their planes. Nevertheless, Steve O'Bryan (vice president for F-35 business development) elucidated in an interview with Ma’ariv Magazine, “We will meet the deadline that we set.”

O'Bryan, an F-18 pilot by training, recently visited Israel. Among his duties in Lockheed Martin is responsibility for coordinating details of the business transaction with Israel. In a conversation with him, O'Bryan dissipates the rumors regarding postponement of the planes’ delivery date. “The various delays are not significant with regard to the overall schedule of the process,” he explains. “We will meet the deadline that was set. [However,] it is possible that some of the upgrades will be carried out at a later date in Israel.”

According to O'Bryan, the aircrafts will be handed over to Israeli air force pilots in the American Eglin Air Force Base, South Florida sometime in the second half of 2016. Israeli airmen can begin training on the spot, and will return to Israel at the beginning of 2017. The transaction includes 20 fighter planes, at the cost of approximately $2.7 billion. According to our IDF leaders, this is just the beginning. In the present budgetary reality, painful decisions will have to be made even within the army, regarding its priorities. It is impossible to afford everything on the list: the Stealth, the updated Merkava Mark IV (armored personnel carrier for the Merkava, a tank), as well as a new torpedo boat.

During his stay in Israel, O'Bryan delivered a speech at a convention of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies. He explained the revolution that the Stealth will cause [in Israel], in both functional and operational terms,out of his keen acquaintanceship with the Israeli air force. “You have one of the most advanced air forces in the world,” he noted. “When the F-35 airplanes arrive to join your fleet, you will reach another level altogether. The new plane will add much power and strength [to the air force] and allow even better confrontation with challenges.” The advantages listed by O'Bryan stem from the plane’s characteristics: it can fly under all weather conditions, day and night; it has higher maneuverability; and, perhaps most important of all, it can fly without being revealed by radar or the most sensitive, advanced instruments possessed by the countries around us.

Name and Number

Recently, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz delivered a survey speech to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Interspersed in his reports about Iran and Syria, Gantz also made an unusual statement, the kind never heard officially in the past from a high-placed IDF officer. “I have no doubt that we will need at least 2 squadrons for the F-35s,” he said. Thus he admitted that although the transaction included the new fighter plane, one squadron would ultimately not suffice. Thus, according to the Chief of Staff, the topic must be raised again at the next multi-year budgetary program called the Oz Plan, to double the quantities involved.

At the Committee, Gantz also admitted that the IDF will be forced to cope with new challenges before the Stealth planes are delivered. Nevertheless, long-term planning mandates the acquisition of the fighter planes. One example of an unforeseen regional change and challenge is the recent rise of Moslem Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi to presidency over Egypt. Egypt maintains an advanced western army, including an advanced air force with more than 450 fighter planes (200 of them are F-16s). Although no one is currently planning a war against Egypt, the Egyptian change in the regional alignment is enough to demonstrate the uncertainty that reigns in our neighborhood—and that is without even bringing up Iran.

Important Partners

For the Israel air force, the arrival of the F-35 is a very big deal, more significant than any other acquisition in the past. It was already decided that the fifth-generation Stealth squadron will be constructed in the Nevatim base. At this point, air force equipment is being re-examined (by the equipment group of the Air force and other professional agents) and the flight runways are being re-examined in order to adapt them to the new planes. The IDF is even considering creating new specifications for the underground Hardened Aircraft Shelters [HAS] where the planes are parked when not in the air. Due to the different shape of the Stealth, it will have to be ‘parked’ in custom-designed underground shelters that are different than the ones that currently house fighter planes.

Due to the political changes in the Middle East — the Arab Spring that turned everything upside down — IDF top brass feel that the Stealth is advantageous not only for deterrence purposes. In fact, many believe that the reason for acquisition of Stealths is to achieve real air superiority. “While it is true that Syria has internal problems, it simultaneously is engaged in unprecedented investments in anti-aircraft systems,” says a top-echelon military officer. “Therefore, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.”

Although the first planes will only arrive in about five years, the air force is already planning to acquire a new simulator to train the pilots in the use of the advanced aircraft. As part of the preparations for the planes, decisions will have to be made about the number of squadrons. Hence an event that may appear to be simple, really involves many internal struggles involving even former air-force officers. No less important is the new name of the aircraft. Like its brother in the air force family, the new F-35 Stealth will also receive a resoundingly Israeli name.

Quite a few defense industries in Israel are benefiting from the development of the new fighter plane, since they are involved in production of some of its components. Israel Aerospace Industries is in charge of producing wing-parts; Elbit — helmet-mounted display systems and airframe parts.

“While Israel is not a direct associate of the project, it is a very important partner nonetheless,” analyzes O’Brien, “Israel is making a big contribution to the entire plan.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By: Hanan Greenberg - Almonitor
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: American Picks IDF Service Over Elite US Army Rangers

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: American Picks IDF Service Over Elite US Army Rangers

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Katz - Jerusalem Post

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 7, 2011: “People fight here for a reason: To keep Israel alive. And for me, the US army did not have as much meaning as the Israeli army," Dabush says.

Becor Dabush always knew he wanted to serve in the military.

It took him a while, though, to realize that it was supposed to be in the IDF.

Born in Los Angeles to an Israeli father and American mother, and raised in North Miami Beach, Dabush was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) – a federal program aimed at motivating teenagers to serve in the military – throughout high school. He subsequently signed a contract committing himself to enlisting in the US Army Rangers upon graduation.

The summer before his draft, though, Dabush flew to Israel to visit family for the last time before his scheduled deployment at Fort Benning in Georgia for basic training.

“During the vacation I traveled around and met soldiers on buses and trains and started talking to them, and they said that while the military is tough, it’s a brotherhood since we are all Jewish,” Dabush said on Wednesday. “People fight here for a reason: To keep Israel alive. And for me, the US army did not have as much meaning as the Israeli army.”

He returned to the US and fought to get out of his contract to serve in the Rangers. After it was annulled, Dabush boarded a plane back to Israel where he immediately enlisted in the IDF.

He was drafted in February and is currently serving in the Nahal Brigade’s elite Reconnaissance Battalion.

“I always wanted to join the army as a kid,” he said. “I really loved how the army works, how it is serious, there is a framework and how it teaches you to be a leader.”

Not all of Dabush’s friends from JROTC approved of his decision to join the IDF. “I have a lot of friends in the US military, and they do not see things like I do. They don’t see the same point of view that I have,” he said.

Nevertheless, Dabush said he does not regret his decision for a minute, and plans to try-out to become an IDF officer.

“The other soldiers in my unit looked at me a little strange in the beginning and they didn’t understand why I came here, but slowly they began to understand that we are all here for a larger purpose – to defend our country,” he said.