Israel is in the sights of IS.

(Baonghean) - The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) has just released a video online threatening Israel, vowing revenge for Israel's repression of Palestinians. Along with the Israeli Cabinet's designation of IS as an illegal terrorist group on October 25th, public opinion suggests that Israel will have to enter a new phase in the fight against IS, instead of merely playing the role of a "silent partner" in the US-led campaign as before.

The threat to “eradicate the Jewish people completely”

“This is a clear warning to the Jews – the number one enemy of Muslims… The real war has not yet begun, all that you have witnessed before will be child's play compared to what you are about to suffer” – this is the threat in the video, declared by an IS fighter in Hebrew, the official language of Israel. IS's reason for the threat to “leave no Jew alive in Jerusalem” is revenge for Israel's repression of Palestinians in the conflict that has killed at least 51 Palestinians and 9 Israelis in the past month.

The threat came after a recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestine.

This marks the first time ISIS has issued a direct threat against Israel – a move that immediately prompted international attention to investigate ISIS's motives. Since the US announced the formation of an international coalition against ISIS last September, Israel, as a close ally in the region, has not hesitated to express its support for the US campaign. However, Israel did not register as part of the coalition formed by the US and has almost never directly participated.

The ISIS fighter in the video threatens Israel.

What people are speculating about Israel's role is just unverified information, such as Israel "lending" AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters to Jordan to support the fight against IS, providing intelligence, satellite imagery, and information on Western citizens within IS ranks to assist the US, because Israeli spy satellites are said to have a wider reach in the region than US ones... Even during his recent visit to Russia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only expressed support for Russia in the fight against IS without taking any concrete action. So why did IS suddenly "turn its finger" at Israel like this? Could it be to "defend" the Palestinians, as IS claimed in the video?

According to experts, ISIS is making strategic calculations by exploiting the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine in its video. In the video, ISIS fighters boast about their "achievement" of erasing the border between Syria and Iraq, and promise to do the same with the borders between Syria and Jordan, as well as the borders between Syria and Palestine – implying that ISIS will quickly expand into Jordan and Palestine after seizing large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Before invading Palestine, speaking out in support of the Palestinians in their conflict with the Israelis would help ISIS build its image in the country, reinforcing its "Muslims against the West" rhetoric to attract more fighters. Furthermore, by using the conflict, which is attracting significant public attention, as leverage, ISIS aims to draw the world's attention to its position in the region.

A boost for Israel's new strategy.

Since the beginning of the year, Israel has mentioned several times that ISIS is approaching its northern border, and that ISIS has released propaganda videos showing fighters sitting in vehicles flying ISIS flags and asking for directions to Jerusalem. However, the reality is that Israeli security officials are not overly concerned about the threats from ISIS – which also explains why Israel has not yet reacted to the video recently released by ISIS. Analysts have pointed out that, for Israel currently, the conflict with Palestine is "occupying all its thoughts," while ISIS has been relegated to a secondary position.

Despite reports that around 10 Israeli Arabs are fighting alongside ISIS and could carry out attacks if they return home, Israel remains confident that just 10 fighters “with machine guns mounted on Jeeps cannot inflict damage on an army with the most advanced tanks in the world.” Public opinion polls also show that most Israelis do not believe ISIS poses an urgent threat to their country.

However, it is highly likely that Israel will soon have to change its strategy. The reality is that the threats IS makes in its videos are often not empty threats. Furthermore, some sources indicate that IS has established clandestine organizations in southern Syrian towns near the Israeli-Jordanian border.

Not to mention the threat of exterminating Jews in Jerusalem, if ISIS were to carry out what it declared in the video—invading Jordan and causing disruption in the Golan Heights—it would be a dangerous scenario for Israel. A hostile Jordan right on its doorstep is something Israel would never want. Therefore, it is very likely that the Iranian Cabinet's designation of ISIS as an illegal terrorist group will not just be an empty announcement, but will be accompanied by a real war to combat ISIS's expansion in the region.

Thuy Ngoc