Deadly Tango between Israel and Hezbollah Could End in War

February 16, 2024

by: Yossi Yehoshua ~ Ynetnews

Friday, 16 February 2024 | The longer the multi-front war continues, the extent to which Israel and Hezbollah can fight and not enter a full-scale war becomes clear as they continue to dance a bloody tango. In recent days, Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israeli communities and the rhetoric of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah have escalated further. Yet both sides carefully convey that the red line hasn’t been crossed.

After a woman and a teen were seriously injured by a missile landing in Kiryat Shemona on Monday, Staff Sergeant Omer Sarah Benjo was killed in a Hezbollah rocket barrage on Wednesday.

At 9:04 a.m. on Wednesday, 11 rockets were fired near the village of Ramish in southern Lebanon. Four of them fell in open areas near Netu’a, one near the parking lot of the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, and another missile hit the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] Northern Command, leading to Benjo’s death.

According to the so-called rules of the game with Hezbollah, it can choose to attack civilian targets as it has done in the past. Therefore, Israelis in areas near the border should be on high alert. If Hezbollah succeeds in causing casualties, the Israeli response will be proportional, and this is precisely the path to a comprehensive war that both sides have been trying to avoid for about four months now.

Since the start of the war, Hezbollah has lost more than 200 of its operatives. Nasrallah, however, doesn’t intend to stop, as he clarified in his speech. In his view, as long as the war in Gaza continues, the Lebanese front will remain active.

As learned from reliable reports in the Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al-Akhbar, it seems the Lebanese terrorist organization is deeply involved in the details of the negotiations with Hamas for a hostage release deal, and perhaps even indirectly contributes to its management.

Nasrallah also rejected all initiatives by mediators for a cease-fire in Lebanon, arguing that they’re currently irrelevant and that Israel isn’t in a position to set conditions. His words don’t indicate the pressure he feels from eliminating his operatives, which can be seen in his demand that they adhere to security protocols when using smartphones.

Following the escalation, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi toured the northern border on Wednesday. “We’re preparing for a war in the north. This dialogue between us and the local authorities here is very important,” he said.

“The mission is to think about readiness for war. That is our first task, and we are now focusing on being prepared for war in the north. In the end, we will be ready for war. If it doesn’t end in war, it won’t end in compromise on the achievements,” he added.

Halevi didn’t just talk on the topic of readiness. The IDF units that fought in Gaza are training for a possible operation in Lebanon. Ironically, the hesitation regarding the ground forces’ capabilities before entering Gaza has turned into high expectations for the challenge in Lebanon.

It’s important to note that the gap between the fronts is significant. The IDF will operate in densely populated urban areas, there’s the threat of anti-tank missiles and they will face the advanced capabilities of much more skilled terrorists.

This doesn’t mean that the IDF can’t face these challenges, but rather that a significant conceptual change is required to manage the next battle. In short, this will be a completely different fight.

Posted on February 16, 2024

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on February 15, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

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