New threats in the Middle East

In the Middle East, change is not usually for the best. Sunday's incident just across the border from us in Syria, in which Jihad Mughniyeh and a cell of terrorists, including Lebanese and Iranian nationals, were eliminated, was an example of the new Middle East in which we live. Today, our enemies have become only more dangerous, more radical and more fragmented.

The new Middle East we were promised has merely produced the disintegration of Arab nations in our neighborhood. Syria and Iraq already realized long ago that maintaining sovereignty over their entire territories is a thing of the past. Shiites against Sunnis, government forces against extremist militias -- everyone is battling for control of the Arab world, the unity of which has turned into a myth. It is tough to talk about one Arab world, given what is going on in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. Everything is split and smashed to pieces. The vacuum left by collapsed governments has been filled by groups many times more dangerous than they governments they replaced. Our enemies have not decreased in number in the new Middle East. Rather, they have multiplied.

The Mughniyeh family is an example of what was and what will be in the Middle East. No one in the Mughniyeh family has ever changed paths and become a doctor or plumber. Expertise in terrorism is passed down from father to son. Imad Mughniyeh specialized in global terrorism, while it appears that his son, Jihad, with backing from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, sought to focus on terrorism against Israel.

The new Middle East has brought Iran, Hezbollah, al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front to our borders. Just a few months ago, the Nusra Front seized control of the Quneitra border crossing for a short time. For Israel, the current situation represents a nightmare scenario that has materialized. Sunday's incident in Syria was a reminder that before we have peace, we will likely have more war. It looks like we have more military action, rather than diplomatic initiatives, on the horizon. And those who say this should be the opposite must be asked -- how does one make peace with terrorist militias-

Hopefully, what is happening across the border will stay across the border. But it seems that, in reality, this may not hold true. The one thing that unites the groups fighting each other across the border in Syria is their desire to topple the border fence and attack Israel. On this, there is no dispute.

Iran is no longer satisfied with just acting via its emissaries (Hezbollah and Hamas) on our borders. It is now sending its own troops to observe our border towns. They are gathering intelligence ahead of future operations. Sunday's strike in Syria sent a clear message to the terrorists -- Israel is on alert and it will pull the trigger, if necessary.