A former IDF Home Front Command senior official was not surprised by Iran launching attacks on Israel, but was surprised by the rhetoric discussed within Israel over whether striking Dahiyeh was worth it, he told 103FM on Monday morning.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Dedi Simchi, the former HFC chief of staff (second to the HFC commander), told the radio station that he was "not surprised by Iran's audacity."
"I was sure they had to do it because they are in a very bad situation," Simchi said.
"What surprises me more are some of the responses I hear from our own people here inside Israel. Suddenly, no one understands this war, which is now reaching other arenas, is our war for the sake of the citizens of Israel who live in the North," he stated.
"Some people within Israel are asking, 'Why did we strike Hezbollah in Dahiyeh? Now Iran will fire at Tel Aviv!' I don't understand - are our compatriots in the North not part of society? If we need to strike in Dahiyeh, and the result is that Iran will fire, then that is what needs to be done in order to protect all Israeli citizens," Simchi said.
"Until now, we attacked how we wanted, and Iran did not respond, because they were preparing for another 'October 7 attack' in order to destroy Israel," Simchi continued.
"Iran kept quiet, not because they were afraid, but because they had a much bigger strategic idea. The moment we dismantled that idea for them, the equation changed," he added.
Iran doing everything it can to influence negotiations, home front official tells Israeli radio
"Everything Iran is doing is intended to influence the negotiations, which are their geostrategic move opposite the US," he stated.
"Iran is showing they still have power and that they can fire [at will]," Simchi added.
To fix the Iran situation "will take time, resources, and painful costs, but there is no choice," he concluded.