IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz (far left) with a reserve division. Photo: IDF.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday met with the IDF General Staff forum, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, who revealed that much defense work on Israel’s Golan front has been achieved away from “the cameras.”

While Jews around the world prepare for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, next week, Israelis are preparing for potential retaliation by Syria if the U.S. moves to punish the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for crossing President Obama’s “red line” by using chemical weapons.

In a statement, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gantz said, “There is no arena in which something is not happening. There is no field in which the IDF is not active along with its partners in the security establishment who are not here, and along with the Defense Ministry of course.”

“At a quick glance, the southern border has been closed. We had Operation Pillar of Defense. We learned the lessons and carried out many operations in Judea and Samaria. The Golan Heights is not as it was one year ago. There have been many operations which we cannot expand on in front of the cameras, of course, and preparations for what may come,” Gantz said.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu told the IDF leaders, “Today, the IDF is stronger than ever. I rely on you, we rely on you and the Israeli people rely on you. I am certain that you are capable of carrying out any mission that we charge you with. We will see to it that the Jewish People have a good year.”

Defense Minister Ya’alon said, “Those here know that the relative quiet on the borders stem from the work of this group, led by the Chief-of-Staff and the General Staff. May we have a year of security and prosperity.”