Tamir Hayman, the chief of Israeli military intelligence chief, told a conference in Tel Aviv that the year 2019 would bring “significant change” to Syria, without elaborating. He added that Israel was monitoring the Iranian presence with the return of stability to Syria under the umbrella of Russia, stressing that Iran could use its growing influence in Iraq to turn it into a launching arena for attacks against Israel. “This presence of Iran, with Syria’s return to stabilization under a Russian umbrella, is something we are watching closely,” he noted. Meanwhile, a senior military source in Tel Aviv said on Tuesday that the new year 2019 “carries tough security predictions, with the possibility of serious military escalation on all fronts of combat, from Syria to Lebanon and even the Gaza Strip and perhaps the West Bank too”, despite the fact that the army will try, as in the past year, to avoid war. “The challenges facing Israel are mounting; the new year is full of uncertainty, and there is a growing possibility over time of an escalation that could include every front,” the official was quoted by saying in local reports. “Israel is therefore required to overcome this new year with the least amount of broad military confrontation, because every enemy and adversary has strong internal challenges that can break out, and the choice of confrontation with Israel is a substitute for facing such challenges,” he emphasized. Sources in Tel Aviv said that the top Israeli challenge was to prevent the outbreak of war, but “in case war occurred, Israel must achieve victory, to prevent any Iranian military presence in Syria and the access of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, especially precision rockets that require Israel to operate on Lebanese territory.”