Death In The Holy Land: PROLOGUE
12:19 A.M. Aman (Israeli Military Intelligence Headquarters)
General Ahriel was worried, and made that clear to the rest of his staff by displaying a large map of Lebanon on the front wall of the conference room as soon as everyone had arrived. Whenever Lebanon was brought up in an Aman meeting it was usually trouble.
"We have a problem. One that could potentially turn into the end of Israel as we know it." Said the general, his flinty eyes piercing, he was speaking plainly, as he always did, a habit that had made him infamous in negotiating rooms and diplomatic circles.
"Lebanon, as you all know, has been enjoying overly friendly relations with Iran for the past few months. They have been receiving quite a bit of money, and also weapons. Just last week they received a shipment of fifty T-90 tanks. But more alarming is this." The General flicked a switch near him that activated a powerpoint that had been set up prior to the meeting by nervous aides who had been sworn into secrecy before handling the slides.
The images that followed were shocking. Iranian 'passenger' planes disgorging loads of infantry and armored vehicles. Fighter jet parts hidden in shipments of parts for computers and building supplies. And tanks, lots of them.
"All of this," said the General grimly, his tail swishing back and forth as it did when he was angry, "comes directly from Iran." There was shocked silence for a moment. Iran had been smuggling military forces into Lebanon for quite possibly months. Already they might have added a division onto Lebanese military strength.
And there was only one reason they would do that: an invasion.
"Sir?" Asked a fighter bomber formation commander.
"Yes?"
"What should our immediate course of action to this threat be?" The General sighed. Mossad had only given him the photos a few hours before and since then his world had dissolved into a maelstrom of meetings, first with the Prime Minister, then with the Mossad, and now with the commanders of the Israeli Defense Force.
"We do not have the troop strength to fight an offensive war, the Lebanese army by itself is about 60,000 furs, and who knows how many troops and pieces of equipment the Iranians have managed to get through to the Lebanese..."
The situation looked bleak, but then again it had looked similar so many times throughout Israel's brief history. Had they not turned the Arab tides in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1981, and so many other times? Feeling slightly better the General smiled.
"But this time we know for a fact that Lebanon will receive no help from any other country besides Iran. Syria is engaged in civil war, Iraq is unstable and has no interest in us anyways, Egypt has been friends with us for years, and Jordan is too close to the United States to risk anything." The staff nodded at the General's logic, it was sound and made them feel more confident. After all had they not faced off against five Arab countries before and still come out victorious?
"I want two armored divisions moved to the Lebanese border, and increase intelligence gathering missions, we need to know how many troops the Iranians have snuck into Lebanon, this will lead to war, so we might as well be prepared!"
At dawn the next morning, two divisions of Merkava battle tanks swung out of their bases and rolled down the streets of the cities that they were stationed in. Furs watched grimly from the sidewalks, hoping that what the suspected was not the reality, that war wasn't coming again.
Similarly, three regiments of commandos moved away from their base in Tel Aviv and moved north towards the Lebanese border.
Over the border, guards and surveillance officers watched the mobilization with surprise and anger.
"They've caught on." Said an Iranian officer grimly.
This would make things difficult.