Former PMO Official Reveals: Where Is the War with Iran Heading?

Lt. Col. (res.) Ofer Malka, a former senior official in the Prime Minister's Office, stated at the Channel 14 Security Conference that Israel is in an era of "war between wars" against Iran, and that the situation serves the Iranians. He called for expanding the Abraham Accords into a regional military alliance and investing in precision missile systems instead of the air force.

Lt. Col. (res.) Ofer Malka, a former senior official in the Prime Minister's Office, addressed the fundamental shift in the Iranian arena at the Channel 14 Security Conference. According to him, Israel has moved from an era of covert "campaign between wars" to an era of "war between wars" – a continuous war of attrition with peaks of high-intensity fighting. Malka explained that this situation primarily serves the Iranians, as it unites the Iranian public against an external enemy, and is expected to continue until an agreement is reached – which currently is unclear whether it will include only freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or also nuclear and missile components. On the regional level, Malka called for leveraging the campaign against Iran to expand the Abraham Accords into a strong military alliance, a kind of "Middle Eastern NATO," that would unite Israel with Sunni states like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain against the Shiite enemy. He emphasized that such an alliance is essential given that American interests do not always align with those of its allies. Additionally, he recommended defense industry independence and a reexamination of IDF priorities: investment in precision missile systems over continued massive investment in the air force, arguing that missiles are cheaper, more accurate, and easier to operate.