Former commander of Beaufort Ridge warns against romanticizing operation, holding outpost

The recent capture of the Beaufort Ridge by Israeli forces, while a tactical success, should not be romanticized as a strategic victory, warns Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Avman, who previously commanded the outpost.

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Capturing the ridge is tactical excellence that masks strategic helplessness.

Avman, who served at Beaufort in the late 1980s and oversaw its handover in 2000, stated that capturing the ridge is "tactical excellence that masks strategic helplessness." He criticized the current approach, suggesting that while the IDF excels in ground operations, broader strategic goals remain undefined. "The US imposes so many restrictions on our use of force, and we compensate for that with tactical operations," Avman told Walla, implying a reliance on localized successes rather than a cohesive strategy.

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The US imposes so many restrictions on our use of force, and we compensate for that with tactical operations, which the IDF executes excellently, of capturing territory over hours spent on the ground.

He expressed deep concern about the IDF's static positions along the Lebanese border and the potential for Hezbollah to revert to guerrilla warfare despite being a "wounded organization." Avman also sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, stating they "have no clue, no compass, about what we want to achieve." He questioned the long-term plan for holding the captured territory, highlighting logistical challenges and the vulnerability of soldiers to improvised explosive devices and drones.

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What is victory for them? Victory for them is not that they will now capture Kiryat Shmona and Shlomi. Thankfully, we managed to degrade those capabilities over the last three years. But now? They will turn to guerrilla warfare.

"What happens in the day after?" Avman asked, predicting that the "romance of the images from Beaufort will turn, within days, into strategic stagnation." He warned that the price of holding the ridge would be paid by soldiers and Israeli citizens in the north, likening the current actions to being trapped in a detrimental loop. "This loop is not a good loop, and therefore, I say the tactical achievement is an amazing achievement, but there is no strategic purpose here, and it will not serve the residents of the north," he concluded.

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They have no clue, no compass, about what we want to achieve.