Former navy chief warns Israel to prepare for a long war with Iran

Retired Major General Eliezer “Chayni” Marom, a former commander of the Israeli Navy, says Israel must change its mindset and stop “beating itself up” over the current security and diplomatic situation. In an interview with Sharon Gal on Radio Galey Israel, he said the country should move quickly from reviewing recent concessions to drawing lessons and actively shaping regional reality according to Israeli interests.

Marom argued that Israel should focus its efforts on the United States, its main ally. “We need to try to convince the Americans to be a little more careful with the money, and to ensure real, effective oversight of the nuclear issue,” he said. He added that anything already conceded has already been signed, so Israel must now take part in shaping events, using the intelligence and knowledge it has accumulated over many years.

He also laid out a stark strategic assessment of the confrontation with Iran. “We need to get used to the fact that we are in a long years-long war with Iran,” Marom said. “This is a reality that requires different force-building and a different outlook. There will be exchanges of blows with Iran, with an agreement and without an agreement.”

According to Marom, that reality demands broad and immediate readiness across the country. “We need to prepare the home front, prepare the stockpiles, prepare the army,” he said. He ended with a message of resilience for the public: “I want to tell the public, no basket of pickles in hand. The State of Israel is here to stay, the IDF is very, very strong, and there is someone to rely on.”