The Israeli newspaper Haaretz considered that the outbreak of a comprehensive war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah has been expected since last October 8, but what is not known is the extent of the destruction that this war will cause to civilian infrastructure in Israel, especially in light of the absence of American support for this war.
Writer Dalia Sheindlin wrote a report in Haaretz in which she stated that Hezbollah’s firing on Israeli positions from southern Lebanon since the beginning of the war between Hamas and Israel led to the evacuation of approximately 80,000 Israelis and 75,000 Lebanese from the border areas.
Israel is escalating and Hezbollah is seeking to avoid a large-scale war
According to the report, Hezbollah seeks to avoid a large-scale war, which was clearly evident in the speeches of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and in return, Israeli leaders are working to adopt a more aggressive approach towards the party.
The Israeli government is considering launching a major pre-emptive strike, which was supported by Defense Minister Yoav Galant, but US opposition has so far prevented this from being implemented.
The war on the border is still raging, with Hezbollah firing anti-tank shells, as well as using suicide marches and missiles, in exchange for Israeli air strikes, which caused the deaths of a number of Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese civilians, as well as a number of Israelis, including soldiers and civilians.
According to Haaretz, the Israeli political leadership followed a tough rhetoric before the public, and called for a strong attack on Hezbollah, while war cabinet member Benny Gantz threatened a military option if a diplomatic solution failed, adding that Israel could carry out military action against Hezbollah regardless of reaching a ceasefire. With Hamas.
An Israeli attack on Lebanon has been expected since 2022
Haaretz believes that the Israelis had an idea about waging a war against Lebanon even before the war with Hamas, as an article written in the “Israel Today” newspaper on October 6, 2022 called for attacking Lebanon, which preceded Israel’s war with Hamas by a full year.
Has Israel thought about the costs of war with Hezbollah?
The newspaper added another question about how Israel can convince itself to open another front with Hezbollah, which possesses weapons many times more destructive than what Hamas possesses, and asked: Has anyone thought about the costs?
Hezbollah is expected to attack Israeli infrastructure first, according to Haaretz, and here the question arises about how Tel Aviv can function without electricity, schools, hospitals and supermarkets?
The newspaper referred to a document circulated on social media bearing the logo of the Ministry of Justice, and containing instructions in the event of an all-out war breaking out in the north and attacks on power plants, warning of power outages, and advising the storage of water and cell phone batteries.
Iran is committed to defending Hezbollah and Washington is avoiding a regional war
Haaretz drew attention to an article written by Saudi foreign policy researcher Aziz Al-Ghasyan, who confirmed that Iran is more committed to Hezbollah than to the Hamas movement, which increases the chances of the conflict extending, at a time when the Biden administration seeks to avoid a regional war, and will work to stop it quickly, which was confirmed by writer Frederick. Hoff is Bard College’s diplomat-in-residence.
Hof confirmed that the administration is concerned that “Hezbollah will target civilians, and Israeli officials have already promised to hold Lebanon responsible for the party’s actions.”
This situation may lead to heavy civilian casualties and severe damage to infrastructure and property on the side of the Blue Line, in addition to exposing Americans to danger, which is what makes the American administration seek to seriously stop the escalation.
A war against Hezbollah poses a threat to Israel’s future relations
Haaretz wondered who would stand by Israel if this war broke out, especially if Tel Aviv initiated a pre-emptive war.
According to Al-Ghasyan, Saudi Arabia will see that Israel should not be trusted to avoid regional escalation, and that Israel will constitute a security burden on it and not just a potential strategic asset.
The newspaper concluded that Israeli political leaders and analysts alike avoid talking about the great costs of this war, such as devastating attacks against infrastructure, the expansion of the war regionally, the absence of American support for it, and tense relations with countries with which Israel hopes to normalize relations.
2024-03-02 16:25:59
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