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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/08/israel-war-iran/
A Wider War Carries Risks But Also Opportunities
(Washington Post) Jennifer Rubin - The devastation of Iran's most heavily armed proxy comes as a shock and humiliation to Hizbullah's patron. Its limited airstrike on Israel signaled that it has neither the capacity nor the will for an all-out war with Israel, which is poised for a counterstrike. "Unexpected opportunities will also come - to undermine Iranian malign influence in the region, for example, by actively impeding its efforts to reconstitute Hizbullah," said Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. As for Lebanon, Middle East negotiator Dennis B. Ross observed, "Hizbullah has ruled Lebanon and turned it into a failed state. It was responsible for killing Hariri, the Port explosion, and no president since Nov. 1, 2022. With Nasrallah and the leadership of Hizbullah gone, it is time for the Lebanese government and military to take back the state." Paul Salem of the Middle East Institute writes, "The current rout of Hizbullah leaves Iran profoundly vulnerable." Iran could decide "to build a more powerful deterrent, which would be a nuclear weapon; but it might be too late for that. If Iran tries now to make a run for it, Israel - with backing from the U.S. - will undertake airstrikes on as many Iranian security facilities, nuclear and otherwise, as it can manage."