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After Nasrallah's Friday Speech, Israeli Military Sees Diminished Hizbullah Threat
(Al-Monitor) Ben Caspit - "Everyone talks about the intensity of the air force attacks on Gaza," a senior Israeli security source said Friday. "But the truth is that the force is only operating at 40% of its capabilities, because all eyes are on [Hizbullah leader] Nasrallah's north. If the northern arena ignites, Hizbullah will feel the full capability of the air force." Hizbullah should know that Israel's capabilities have been significantly upgraded since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, he added. A senior Israeli military source said that Nasrallah's Friday speech suggested that he was not willing to significantly up the ante of rocket attacks on Israeli targets. "He apparently understood that this event was too big for him. The American presence here also helped," the source said, referring to the two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups deployed in the Mediterranean. The disagreements between Israel and the U.S. on the humanitarian issue in Gaza are not believed to be serious. Israel understands President Biden's domestic political needs. Israeli forces have encircled Gaza City, the heart of the Hamas military command, and is operating within the city. "The progress is better and faster than planned, but Hamas resistance is stubborn and difficult," a senior war cabinet source confirmed. "We have sustained losses and will likely sustain more, but what we see now on the ground is what we said in advance: When the IDF exerts its full strength, there is no stopping it." Fighting at the current level of intensity is expected to last one to two months.