Israel is the only country that Islamic State fears, according to a Western journalist who recently spent time with the jihadist group.
“They think they can defeat US and UK ground troops, who they say they have no experience in city guerrilla or terrorist strategies. But they know the Israelis are very tough as far as fighting against guerrillas and terrorists,” Jürgen Todenhöfer, author of My 10 Days in the Islamic State, told the U.K.’s Jewish News.
Last weekend, the Islamic State released a taped message from its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, where he threatened to turn Israel into a “graveyard.”
“We are getting closer to you day by day,” Baghdadi said in the message. “Do not think that we have forgotten about you.”
“God caused the Jews of the world to gather in Israel, and the war against them has become easy. It is the obligation of every Muslim to carry out Jihad.”
Todenhöfer added that “they are not scared of the British and the Americans, they are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. We [Islamic State] can’t defeat them with our current strategy. These people [the IDF] can fight a guerrilla war.”
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.