(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Matthew Levitt - Hizbullah, the formidable Shia militia in Lebanon that for years posed the most imminent and strategic threat to Israel, is suddenly a shadow of its former self. Within days, a spectacular series of Israeli intelligence and military maneuvers severely degraded Hizbullah's fighting capacity and dismantled its leadership cadre. Since Hizbullah was the backbone of Iran's network of militant proxies, Iran's strategy of arming and deploying proxy groups throughout the region is suddenly at risk as well. Hizbullah's near daily rocket attacks put increasing pressure on Israel, as intended. Only that pressure did not lead Israelis to stop targeting Hamas so much as it chipped away at Israel's fears about the cost of military action to address the military threats posed by Hizbullah. Israeli society gradually concluded the situation in the north was intolerable, and support grew for the idea that the military should do what it must to enable civilians to return to their homes. By the summer of 2024, Israeli military and political leaders no longer took Hizbullah threats as a reason not to attack, but rather the reason to do so forcefully. The writer is director of the program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the Washington Institute.
2024-10-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive