According to Col. (res.) Eran Lerman, deputy director of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and a former deputy director of the Israeli National Security Council, one possible scenario involves an Israeli response that could be “a painful but contained strike on something (or someone) of high value to Hezbollah, coupled with a demonstrated ability to obliterate Lebanese infrastructure, sending the message that ‘We can do to you what we did to the Houthis.’”
“Then, or rather concurrently, leveraging Hezbollah’s internal problem with the Druze to push them off north of the Litani River, possibly enabling the evacuated to return [to their homes in northern Israel],” said Lerman.
Israel’s response, he added, is “intimately related to the Iranian nuclear issue, which is becoming acute and may lead to sudden action.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday visited the site of the tragedy in Majdal Shams, together with Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.
In his remarks, Netanyahu said, “These children are our children; they are the children of us all. The State of Israel will not, and cannot, ignore this. Our response will come and it will be severe.”
That response is what has the global community on edge. The US and France have expressed their wish to see a calming of tensions to prevent an all-out war.
Meanwhile, several airlines have canceled flights in and out of Lebanon and several countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.
Whether or not the United States would back Israel in the event of an all-out war is still unclear, but in June, CNN reported that senior American officials had assured Israel that Washington is prepared to “fully back” its ally in the event of a further escalation on the northern border.
No comments:
Post a Comment