Is Hezbollah-Israel really engaged in an all-out war?
Last Updated on July 1, 2024 10:22 am
Nine months into the Israeli assault on Gaza, there is no sign of a ceasefire. In the meantime, the attacks between Hezbollah and Israel in the southern part of Lebanon continue. Analysts say that due to this confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, the intensity and scale of the conflict has increased to such an extent that the two sides can go to direct war at any time.
Lebanon could become the main stage of regional conflict as Iran’s proxy Hezbollah is a stronghold in the fight against Israel. From that point of view, Lebanon is going through a dangerous phase at the moment. The country is standing on the edge of a chasm that if it steps forward, it will fall into the abyss.
Because it will not be difficult for Israel to plunge Lebanon into darkness. Decades of mismanagement and economic decline have already crippled the nation’s electrical grid. It is somehow working. A few precise airstrikes can easily finish it off.
However, it will take a long time to take away Hezbollah’s power within days. Because, since the inconclusive war of 2006, Israel is planning to play a war again with the armed group of Lebanon. Hezbollah is not far behind. They have been preparing for war for a long time.
Israel reportedly considers Hezbollah an existential threat from Gaza’s Hamas, given Hezbollah’s military strength and presence on its doorstep. This complex situation poses a formidable challenge not only to Israel, but to the wider interests of the West in the Middle East.
Neither side — Hezbollah and Israel — apparently has any intention of crossing the dangerous border. But the ongoing back-and-forth between them and the political deadlock caused by the Gaza conflict could leave one of the two sides in the lurch. It can lead to direct war at any time.
According to Israeli estimates, the group has at least 150,000 missiles and rockets in its arsenal. Hezbollah has already launched 5,000 of them since October. Which means, much of the group’s arsenal remains intact. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah said as much in a speech last week.
Israeli officials have been surprised by the armed group’s attack prowess. These include systematic precision strikes on Israeli border surveillance outposts, shooting down Israeli drones in the air, and the ability to strike Israel’s Iron Dome batteries and anti-drone defenses.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for Israel, however, was the nine minutes of drone footage Hezbollah released online. The footage shows highly sensitive civilian and military infrastructure in and around the northern city of Haifa.
In addition to weapons, Hezbollah is capable of fielding 40,000 to 50,000 fighters on the battlefield. Nasrallah recently claimed that this number is more than 1 lakh. Many of these fighters have experience fighting regime forces in the Syrian civil war.
Hezbollah is not like many other guerrilla groups. As a fighting force, its group is highly trained and disciplined.
Because of this, the visibly escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have raised concerns about how long the standing will last. Direct combat cannot now be prevented. But the dark shadow of a major conflict hangs over the Middle East in the coming days.