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In-Depth Issues:
Former Mossad Chief Reveals Saving Hundreds of Lives from Aircraft Bombing in Australia - Ariel Kahana ( Israel Hayom)
Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said Tuesday that Israel gave Australia life-saving intelligence during his tenure.
"We gave the Australians probably one of the most critical intelligence items, which saved hundreds of lives, when a bomb was en route to an Etihad aircraft scheduled to depart Sydney for Dubai or Abu Dhabi...and what do we receive back from Australia?" - referring to Canberra's recognition of a Palestinian state.
Cohen said Israel provides life-saving intelligence to other Western intelligence agencies, primarily the American CIA and British MI6.
Earlier this week, the Mossad exposed an Iranian operative who planned attacks in Germany and Greece.
An International Force from Arab Countries Will Not Fight Against Hamas in Gaza - Ariel Whitman ( Globes)
"Hamas, as an Islamic jihadist movement, will not voluntarily lay down its arms because that would be tantamount to erasing its identity, Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said in an interview.
The only possibility, he said, is for the IDF to make it do so.
"Anyone who thinks that soldiers from the Gulf states or any other Arab country will fight against Hamas terrorists is living in another universe."
"In the Arab and Islamic world, written agreements are not worth much....Hamas, together with Turkey and Qatar - the two sponsors of the Muslim Brotherhood - have plans for its continued survival."
"Turkey and Qatar are determined to continue supporting Hamas behind the scenes and restore its rule."
"This is a jihadist organization that lives solely to destroy its enemies: the State of Israel and the Jewish people."
See also Arab States Reject Joining Gaza Stabilization Force - Itamar Eichner ( Ynet News)
Washington is struggling to assemble an international force to stabilize Gaza, as a wave of Arab countries has rejected American appeals to contribute troops or funding.
The U.S. has quietly shifted its focus to non-Arab nations after repeated refusals from key regional allies.
Poll: 86% of Palestinians Say Hamas Committed No Atrocities Against Israeli Civilians - Dr. Khalil Shikaki ( Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)
A poll conducted in the West Bank and Gaza on Oct. 22-25, 2025, found that 87% of Palestinians in the West Bank and 55% in Gaza oppose the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza.
78% in the West Bank and 52% in Gaza oppose the entry of an armed Arab force from Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab and Islamic countries to maintain security and disarm Hamas.
59% in the West Bank and 44% in Gaza say that Hamas's decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack was correct.
87% of Gazans say they have enough food for a day or two.
54% blame Israel for the current suffering of Gazans while 24% blame the U.S.; only 14% blame Hamas.
86% said Hamas did not commit any atrocities against Israeli civilians, while only 10% said it did.
27% of Gazans expect Hamas to win the war, while 29% say Israel will emerge victorious. In the West Bank, 48% say Hamas will win, and only 5% say Israel will win.
80% want PA President Abbas to resign.
35% said they support Hamas, 24% support Fatah, 9% selected third parties, and 32% said they do not support any of them or do not know.
In the West Bank, 32% support Hamas and 20% support Fatah. In Gaza, 41% support Hamas and 29% support Fatah.
58% say they watch Al Jazeera TV the most.
53% oppose the concept of a two-state solution.
See also Palestinians Still Prefer Hamas and "Armed Struggle" Against Israel - Khaled Abu Toameh ( Gatestone Institute)
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University Leaders Say "Organized Networks," including Iran, Drove Anti-Israel Campus Unrest - Alana Goodman ( Washington Free Beacon)
Several leaders of prominent universities on Monday said they believe the anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations on U.S. campuses during Israel's war against Hamas were not organic.
Instead, they believe "organized networks," and even foreign governments, may have driven the unrest.
Syracuse University chancellor Kent Syverud said, "I really believe [the demonstrations] were encouraged from Iran. It did not have the involvement of very many - if any - of our own students."
Former director of national intelligence Avril Haines announced in July 2024 that the Iranian government encouraged the demonstrations and provided financial support to protesters.
Freed Hamas Terrorists Moved to Second Luxury Egyptian Hotel - Andrew Jehring ( Daily Mail-UK)
Over 150 dangerous Hamas terrorists were rushed out of the Marriott's Renaissance Cairo Mirage City hotel, where they were staying alongside unsuspecting Western tourists and British air crews.
The hotel hosts the crews of six airlines regularly due to its proximity to the airport.
The terrorists were moved to an Egyptian-owned five-star resort an hour away from the airport and the city center where few tourists stay.
Moshe Saville, CEO of the Israeli charity OneFamily, which supports victims of terror, said the incident "reveals to the world the moral absurdity in which murderers are pampered while families are left to face an unending loss every single day."
"We are hearing from many families a deep sense of pain and humiliation, as the very murderers who destroyed their lives enjoy five-star conditions."
Policy Recommendations for Combating Antisemitism in the U.S. - Ben Olinsky
( Center for American Progress)
A whole-of-society approach to combating antisemitism is needed and must include actions that unify Americans against antisemitism.
The surge in antisemitism demands a response that protects the Jewish community and safeguards America's broader society, freedom, and democracy, which have historically provided a haven for Jews.
Like with other forms of hate, a key facet of antisemitism that must be combated is that it fundamentally divides a society and scapegoats a group, eroding trust in institutions and neighbors.
The writer is a senior vice president at American Progress.
Foreign Airlines Flock Back to Israel - Mark Feldman ( Jerusalem Post)
Following the Gaza ceasefire, dozens of foreign carriers are resuming flights to Israel.
This indicates that many airlines believe that tourists will resume visiting Israel.
Israel's Life Expectancy Keeps Rising - Alan Freishtat ( Jerusalem Post)
Israel's life expectancy is now 83.8 years, the fourth-highest in the developed world, just behind Spain (84), Japan (84.1), and Switzerland (84.3).
Last year, Israel went up almost one whole year. The life expectancy for women is 85.7 years.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Western Intelligence Says Iran Is Rearming despite UN Sanctions, with China's Help - Melissa Bell
Iran appears to be stepping up the rebuilding of its ballistic missile program, despite the reintroduction last month of UN sanctions that ban arms sales to the country and ballistic missile activity. European intelligence sources say several shipments of sodium perchlorate, the main precursor in the production of the solid propellant that powers Iran's mid-range conventional missiles, have arrived from China to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas since Sep. 29.
Several of the cargo ships and Chinese entities involved are under sanctions from the U.S.
(CNN)
- Trump Says Israel "Should Hit Back" after Soldier Killed in Gaza - Jana Choukeir
Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza late Tuesday after an attack by Palestinian militants killed one soldier. The Israeli military said it would respond firmly to "any violation" of the ceasefire agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump said,
"As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back."
"You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave. If they (Hamas) are good, they are going to be happy and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated." (Reuters)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Hamas Kills IDF Soldier in Southern Gaza - Emanuel Fabian
Master Sgt. (res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, a heavy machinery operator, was killed in an attack in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Tuesday. Last week, two soldiers were killed in a similar attack in the same neighborhood. Israel blamed Hamas for both attacks.
(Times of Israel)
See also IDF Attacks Dozens of Terrorists in Gaza in Response to Hamas Attacks
Following violations of the Gaza ceasefire by Hamas, the IDF and Israel Security Agency on Wednesday killed 25 terrorists in Gaza including some of those who infiltrated Israeli territory on Oct. 7. Other targets included observation posts, a weapons production site, rocket and mortar launch positions, and underground tunnels.
(TPS-Jerusalem Post)
See also Will the Gaza Ceasefire Continue? - Danny Zaken
An Israeli diplomatic source said the Qatari prime minister has repeated his country's commitment to bringing Hamas to surrender its weapons. According to the source, Qatar and the U.S. presented the sharp Israeli responses to incidents in recent days in which IDF soldiers were killed as a warning to Hamas that if it is not willing to give up its weapons, no one will prevent Israel from continuing the attacks.
The source said that the dozens of Hamas commanders killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes are the greatest means of pressure on the organization.
(Israel Hayom)
- Hamas Using Hostages' Bodies as Bargaining Chips? - Amir Bohbot
There are increasing concerns in Israel that Hamas may be using the remains of the fallen as "bargaining chips." Israel is contemplating several strategies in coordination with the U.S. to ramp up pressure on Hamas. Hamas is believed to be well aware of the locations where the remains are buried, while sending Red Cross teams and Egyptian officials to areas unrelated to the real burial sites. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Israel Considering Capture of Hamas-Controlled Gaza Territory in Response to Ceasefire Breach - Amichai Stein
Israel is considering seizing areas in Gaza it had previously withdrawn from in response to Hamas's violations of the ceasefire, the Jerusalem Post has learned. Discussions with the U.S. are currently underway to determine the scope of the response aside from striking terror infrastructure in Gaza.
(Jerusalem Post)
See also U.S. Vetoes Israeli Idea to Expand Control in Gaza following Hamas Violations - Itamar Eichner (Ynet News)
- IDF Discovers October 7 Training Facility in Gaza Mosque
IDF forces searching a Gaza mosque less than a mile away from the border fence uncovered detailed models of Kibbutz Sa'ad and Kibbutz Alumim. Intelligence materials assessed by the IDF indicated that the site "was one of the mosques from which the Nukhba terrorists set out on Oct. 7, where they trained and studied their raid targets down to the smallest details," Army Radio reported. A cache of RPG missiles and other powerful weapons were also found hidden inside the mosque.
(Jerusalem Post)
- UN Official Cites Dozens of Countries Complicit in Israel's Actions in Gaza - Itamar Eichner
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese of spreading Hamas propaganda following her report accusing Israel of human rights violations and criticizing the international support Israel receives.
Albanese's report listed dozens of countries she claims are complicit in Israel's actions. The U.S., UK, Germany, Hungary and others were accused of backing Israel diplomatically or militarily. Canada, Australia and New Zealand were singled out for trying to "weaken" UN resolutions critical of Israel, while France, Italy, Croatia and Greece were criticized for allowing Prime Minister Netanyahu to fly through their airspace despite an ICC arrest warrant.
The report rebuked several Arab and Muslim-majority nations - including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and the UAE - for supporting U.S. President Trump's peace plan.
Albanese accused China, India, Taiwan, Austria, Spain and France of supplying weapons during what she labeled an "ongoing genocide."
A separate list included nations indirectly transferring arms through joint military programs, including F-35 participants such as the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Ireland and Morocco were cited for allowing weapons transfers via their airports, and the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Sweden and Vietnam were criticized for continuing to buy Israeli weapons technology. Albanese also claimed the UN itself had purchased equipment from Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems. (Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- Israel Did What the U.S. Would Have Done Had a Genocidal Enemy Launched an Attack on Us - Robert G. Kaufman
After two years of intense conflict, Israel is substantially better off than it was on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel confounded its mortal enemies by inflicting defeat after defeat on the revolutionary, virulently antisemitic Iranian regime and its primary surrogates - Hizbullah and Hamas.
Israel persevered heroically in defiance of the Biden administration's relentless pressure to restrain its response. The IDF waged a series of brilliant campaigns - decapitating, with surgical precision, Hizbullah's leadership; degrading its thousands of missiles; and devastating Iran's air defenses, thereby facilitating U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites that significantly set back its nuclear weapons program.
Israel also secured the return of the remaining hostages without sacrificing its prerogative to crush the unreconciled remnants of Hamas should they resume violence. The shock and awe of the IDF's military victory has incentivized more moderate Arab regimes to cooperate with Israel and abandon Hamas. Israel's resounding victories against Iranian proxies contributed mightily to the weakening of Assad's bloody tyranny in Syria.
The U.S. and its democratic allies are also substantially better off now that Israel has won its existential war against its genocidal adversaries. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his gratitude for Israel's attacks on Iran: "This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us....This regime has brought death and destruction to the world."
Thus, Israel did what I hope and pray the U.S. would have done had a genocidal enemy launched a proportionally equivalent attack on us - murdering 40,000 Americans; raping, torturing, and beheading victims; casting babies into ovens - without a shred of remorse. Surely we would and should have vanquished such a perpetrator, settling for nothing less than complete and utter destruction of the regime that perpetrated the attack - just as Churchill and FDR rightly did with Nazi Germany and Japan.
It is rank hypocrisy to begrudge the right of Israel to do what we and any other morally sane nation would have done in response to a comparable attack.
The great scholar of war Geoffrey Blainey instructs us in The Causes of War that the longest and most durable periods of peace occur when the results of war are most decisive, eliminating the root cause of the conflict. We ignore these lessons at our peril.
The writer is a Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University.
(Providence - Institute on Religion and Democracy)
- What Are the Chances that Hamas Will Agree to Disarm? - Yoni Ben Menachem
Senior Israeli security sources in Jerusalem doubt Washington's ability to enforce the disarmament clause of the American peace plan, despite President Trump's repeated declarations. They draw parallels to the American failure to disarm Hizbullah in Lebanon. Eight months have passed since the ceasefire agreement was reached there.
According to senior Israeli defense officials, the likelihood of Hamas being disarmed is extremely low. In Gaza, no force is capable of stripping Hamas of its weapons.
Security officials believe Hamas will seek to evade the disarmament demand, counting on prolonged negotiations and attempts to buy time. With assistance from Qatar and Turkey in dealing with Trump, it is expected that Hamas will find ways to stretch out the disarmament process, creating the appearance of compliance while maintaining its standing in Palestinian society. Once Trump's term ends, the group will likely resume open military rearmament.
A senior Israeli security official concluded: "Only the IDF can truly disarm Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon."
The writer, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
- Will Hamas Sink Trump's Gaza Deal? - Editorial
The Trump peace plan for Gaza is in trouble, and Hamas is the culprit. Insisting Israel wait for the return of the slain hostages isn't working. It has been a week since Hamas handed over any bodies, time it has used to solidify control over western Gaza.
The terrorists again fired on Israeli troops on Tuesday and drew an Israeli response. This all should provoke some American rethinking: Hamas's revival risks preventing any international stabilization force from getting off the ground. The more Hamas restores its power, the more the Arab powers back away.
The terrorists are dragging out the return of the dead hostages to create a fait accompli in Gaza.
Gaza's demilitarization can't wait for Hamas to dribble out an arm or a leg a week. By that point it would be too late for an international force, which would be little more than a fig leaf for Hamas's power.
Israeli forces may take some more territory from Hamas for now, but the pressing need is for regular intervention to pressure Hamas and disrupt its reconstitution. If the plan is to restrain Israel even while Hamas violates the deal and no stabilization force is ready, it will fail. The President can let Israel enforce the ceasefire or watch it sink. (Wall Street Journal)
- The War that Rewrote the Middle East - Dr. Gad Yishayahu
Over 24 months of sustained combat, Israel demonstrated an unexpected capacity for prolonged warfare - politically, economically, and psychologically. Moreover, the notion that Israel cannot wage war in more than two or three domains simultaneously was shown to be outdated, as it operated across seven domains: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and the West Bank, without losing strategic coherence. Israel ceased to behave like a besieged enclave and emerged as a regional power with expansive capabilities.
The war also destroyed the myth of sanctuary. From Tehran to Yemen and even Doha, Israel struck its enemies with ease and precision. The era of "safe havens" for planners and financiers of anti-Israel operations has ended.
In addition, the legend of underground invincibility collapsed. Iran, Hizbullah, and Hamas poured vast resources into subterranean networks they believed impregnable. Yet the killing of Hizbullah's Hassan Nasrallah in a fortified bunker last year put an end to this myth. The Israeli-American strikes on Iranian facilities also underscored that even the deepest tunnels and bunkers may no longer guarantee safety.
Under U.S. CENTCOM, several Arab militaries quietly joined missile-defense efforts against Iranian strikes, an event unthinkable prior to this war. The U.S., too, shifted from a passive supporter to an operational partner, with the alliance maturing into a working, action-based partnership reminiscent of U.S. relations with NATO members.
The writer is a visiting lecturer in the Department of International Relations at City, St George's University of London. (National Interest)
- Why Turkey Can't Bring Peace to Gaza - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran
Turkish President Erdogan seeks to co-broker the Gaza peace process for his own prestige, to Hamas's benefit, and at Israel's expense. It's part of his quest to cement Ankara's status as a regional Islamic power.
The glaring problem with Erdogan's dream is his unflinching sympathy for and sponsorship of Hamas. Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist group and, with Iran and Qatar, sponsors the organization's activities.
Several key Hamas militant leaders and financiers live in Turkey. Erdogan has never condemned Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre and has openly praised the terror group as "liberators."
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told pro-government Turkish media recently that Turkey is preparing to become Gaza's security "guarantor" as it is for Northern Cyprus. Yet the realistic extent to which Erdogan can pursue his ambition of a Turkish quasi-protectorate in Gaza is dubious.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has vehemently objected to any Turkish force presence.
The presence of armed Turkish forces in Gaza increases the likelihood of weapons and cash flowing into Hamas's arms once more. Even Turkish aid organizations, given their ideological inclinations, ought to be subject to international supervision.
Erdogan's bargaining chip is that he can talk to Hamas, and they will listen. But that is, after all, the kind of leverage seen in friends of terrorists.
Sinan Ciddi is a Senior Fellow on Turkey at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where William Doran is a research intern.
(National Interest)
Iran
- How the Country I Was Taught to Hate Saved My Life - Masih Alinejad
Growing up in Iran, I learned to chant "death to America" at the age of 7, along with all the other schoolchildren. In the ideology of the Islamic Republic, America is the monster, the Great Satan. As a teenager, I was beaten by the regime's morality police for freeing a few strands of hair and for daring to wear my headscarf a little too loosely. I was jailed for the "crimes" of writing political slogans and handing out pamphlets that questioned the Islamic regime.
I became a journalist covering parliament. When I wrote about corruption among the elected members in 2009, the regime's intelligence officers called me in, threatened me, and forced me to sign a pledge promising not to report on the election. When I ignored the warnings, my car was vandalized. The perpetrators left a single handcuff hanging from the driver's side door handle.
I had to choose: Stay in Iran and risk prison or death, or leave and keep my voice alive. I left.
Leaving my birth country felt like tearing out a part of my soul. But exile gave me freedom. In America, I could finally breathe. I could speak out without fearing the midnight knock at my door.
In 2021, the FBI informed me that I was the target of a kidnapping plot. Iranian intelligence operatives had hired private investigators to surveil me in Brooklyn. They camped outside my home, followed my movements, and made plans to kidnap me and take me to Venezuela. The FBI foiled the plot just in time.
In 2022, a hitman named Khalid Mehdiyev lurked outside my Brooklyn home, watching me as I watered my garden. By the time he had retrieved his gun from his car, I was back inside, unaware of the danger. When he returned the following day, the FBI arrested him.
It's ironic that a child who once chanted "death to America" has, as an adult, been given a second life in the same country she was taught to hate. (Free Press)
Antisemitism
- The Suicidal Idiocy of Activists Who Cozy Up to Islamism - Brendan O'Neill
The recent protest in Whitechapel in East London was morally suicidal - a seething mob of plummy radicals and gruff Islamists - columns of black-clad fanatics raging against "Zionist scum."
The demo in Whitechapel was an orgy of intolerance dolled up as tolerance. It was a display of Islamist arrogance wearing the thin veil of "anti-racism." They believe Islamist fanatics who dream of annihilating the Jewish homeland are anti-racists.
For those of us who still have a quaint attachment to the virtues of reason, it was a sickening spectacle. Mobs of men in black masks hollered Islamist slogans in a distinctly menacing manner. They yelled "From the river to the sea" (translation: destroy the Jewish homeland) and sang the praises of "our martyrs" (translation: the Jew-killers of Hamas).
When the devotees of a hardcore species of Islam take to the streets to fume about "Zionists," we know who they mean. We know they don't mean people like me - Gentiles who support Jewish nationhood. It's not the likes of us they want to drive out of Britain, 1290-style. It's them. Those Zios. The kippah people. Are we really going to do that dumb dance of saying, "Criticizing Zionism is not the same thing as hating Jews"?
If you happily march with men in masks who dream of driving "Zios" from our society, then you have thrown your lot in with Jew-hatred. You are complicit in the cultivation of a hostile environment for England's Jews.
It is gross to hear apologists for the demo use words like "diversity" and "tolerance." It is not diverse if Jews can't come. And it is not tolerant if people are covering their faces so that they might safely scream about "Zionist scum."
When will radicals learn what a colossal folly it is to align themselves with fundamentalists who are suspicious of secularism, hateful of homosexuals, dismissive of women, and furious about Jews? They are marching with their own gravediggers. (Spiked-UK)
- Demonstrating for the Cause of Islamist Supremacy - Stephen Pollard
A recent video shows a frightening mob of hundreds of men, all dressed in black clothes and their faces covered with black masks, march through the streets, proclaiming the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as theirs and attacking (verbally) people who they say should not be there. This masked mob didn't only proclaim the supremacy of their ideology, they also took over the streets outside the East London mosque for prayers.
The last election showed how potent the Muslim sectarian vote can be, returning four MPs. That vote and that potency is only going to grow. The issue is that in their fear of rejection by these voters, politicians will tack to where the votes are. Labour's move to treat Israel no longer as an ally but an enemy, backing arrest warrants, sanctions, and recognition of Palestine, is part of this process. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
- The New Antisemitism: A Viral Variant of an Ancient Madness - Michael Brendan Dougherty
Antisemitism continues to spread like a brain disease in the people who give in to it. You start a conversation about anything at all, the price of a carton of eggs, and they respond with a criticism of Bibi Netanyahu. It's nuts.
The algorithm on X (and, I'm told, TikTok) seems to favor clips of Nick Fuentes, who denies the extent of the Holocaust. He is, along with Candace Owens, literally trying to mainstream in the 2020s the "Jewish question" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the one that led to pogroms against Jews. Fuentes thinks Hitler is "cool."
Antisemitism is disgusting, it is undignified, its exponents should be embarrassed to even be seen in the light of day. They fashion themselves intellectuals, while their conclusions are enacted by street thugs who punch people out in Brooklyn or desecrate graveyards or shoot up synagogues.
This is a case that men of goodwill are going to have to take up exhaustively and in earnest against this viral new variant of an ancient madness. (National Review)
Observations:
- Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah on Nov. 27, 2024, and in the spirit of the side understandings with the U.S., Israel has acted steadily and resolutely to thwart Hizbullah's efforts to rearm and to shape new rules of the game. Israel will not accommodate or contain Hizbullah's attempts to rebuild. It treats the group's intentions and declarations as serious threats even in its weakened state.
- Israel has maintained military positions at five sites in southern Lebanon and reserved full operational freedom to counter any attempt by Hizbullah to reconstitute its strength - a move Israel regards as a breach of the agreement. The border zone remains deliberately depopulated; Shiite towns close to the frontier have been kept empty and their residents denied return.
- Hizbullah is trying to restore its standing, with the help of its patron Iran. Hizbullah remains Iran's last chance to restore its regional status and rebuild deterrence against Israel. Israel therefore proceeds with determination, perseverance and vigilance, preparing both to deter and, if necessary, to escalate.
- If fighting resumes, Hizbullah will face an army that is trained, battle-hardened, well-equipped, and no longer distracted by large-scale operations in Gaza.
- Should Israel be forced into a major escalation, the destruction of Hizbullah would almost certainly become the principal war aim - and Israel would likely find partners including the Lebanese government and Syria who view such a campaign as an opportunity to complete a long-needed regional realignment.
The writer is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
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