Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, speaking at the at the Brooking Institution's Saban Forum in Washington on Friday, said that the United States should play a more active role in the Middle East and criticized the Obama administration's approach to combating the Islamic State group. "The U.S. can't sit on the fence with regard to the Middle East and ISIS," Ya'alon said. "It should lead and be more involved." "Unfortunately in the current situation Russia is playing the most significant role, then the United States," Ya'alon said. "We don't like the fact that King Abdullah of Jordan is going to Moscow. Egyptians are going to Moscow. The Saudis are going to Moscow. This should have been very different. This is a global challenge [and] I believe the United States should be the leader of the Western world in order to meet this challenge. If you sit on the fence the vacuum is filled and Syria is an example, whether by Iran or the Shia axes supported now by Russia, or by ISIS." The defense minister emphasized that it was desirable "to avoid Western boots on the ground on one hand," but said that on the other hand "you can't defeat Daesh [the Arabic acronym for Islamic State] without boots on the ground." "You need to empower local boots on the ground," Ya'alon added, suggesting that the U.S. should do more to support moderate Sunni groups and Kurdish forces. "Western troops in our region should be the last resort," he said. Ya'alon also emphasized the danger of increased Iranian involvement in Syria, noting that over the past two years the only terrorist attacks against Israel from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights were carried out by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. "The Vienna process, which I'm not sure will be successful, provides Iran the opportunity to gain power, to gain hegemony," Ya'alon suggested. The defense minister said that Syrian President Bashar Assad -- despite being dependent on Iran for his survival -- doesnt like the IRGC operations along the Golan border, but is powerless to do or say anything about them. Meanwhile, The Times of London reported over the weekend that ISIS fighters have captured swathes of eastern Afghanistan and were preparing to take over the country once the U.S. removes the last of its troops. According to the report, ISIS is establishing a new province of the group's self-styled caliphate on territory straddling the border with Pakistan, with at least 1,600 fighters ruling much of four districts south of Jalalabad. In related news, the Wall Street Journal reported that the alleged mastermind behind the November 13 Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, had links with "several" people based in Birmingham in central Englands West Midlands region, citing anonymous Western officials. According to the report "at least" one unnamed person connected to the attacks was thought to have traveled to Britain beforehand. The Guardian newspaper, citing counter-terrorism officials, also said that an unnamed Paris attacker visited Britains two biggest cities to meet people suspected of plotting terror activity in the U.K.
Credit: Reuters
Ya'alon also expressed Israel's concern over Russia's military build-up in Syria and its expanding sphere of influence in the region.
