Menachem Begin, perceiving that the Israeli public…

Menachem Begin, perceiving that the Israeli public supports a more active defense posture, appoints Yitzhak Shamir as foreign minister and the hawkish Ariel Sharon as minister of defense, replacing the more moderate Ezer Weizman, who, like foreign minister Moshe Dayan, had in 1980 resigned in protest against Begin's settlement policy.

Sharon is unquestionably an Israeli war hero of longstanding; he had played an important role in the 1956, 1967, and 1973 wars and is widely respected as a brilliant military tactician.

He is also feared, however as a military man with political ambitions, one who is ignorant of political protocol and who is known to make precipitous moves.

Aligned with Sharon is chief of staff General Rafael Eitan, who also advocates an aggressive Israeli defense posture.

Because Begin is not a military man, the minister of defense and the chief of staff increasingly decide Israel's defense policy.

The combination of wide discretionary powers granted Sharon and Eitan over Israeli military strategy, the PLO's menacing growth in southern Lebanon, and the existence of Syrian SAMs in the Biqa Valley points to imminent Syrian-PLO-Israeli hostilities.