Israeli goals in the Lebanon war “maximalist” and “unattainable”

The statements by Israeli politicians and officials about a “total victory” against the resistance movements in the region, especially Hezbollah and Hamas, are “dangerous noise”. The Atlantic reported.

The US-based magazine was particularly interested in the possibility of an Israeli offensive in Lebanon, describing Israel’s war aims as “maximalist and largely unattainable.”

The Israeli authorities tend to “underestimate” the resistance factions they are fighting against, adding that they tend to “hit with a hammer a problem that has never been solved with a hammer.”

“No final blow could destroy Hezbollah’s military strength within a short period of time,” The AtlanticRead ‘s article.

According to Israeli estimates, Hezbollah has 150,000 rocket artillery shells and rockets, some of which are precision-guided. The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon also has tens of thousands of battle-hardened fighters ready to take part in combat operations against the Israeli occupation forces.

Comparing previous clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, and the results of the fighting in 1996, 2000 and 2006, any possible round of clashes would certainly involve a much stronger and more advanced resistance faction.

Read more: Hezbollah rocket attack kills Israeli officer and injures 11 others

Israel cannot achieve through war what it cannot achieve through diplomacy

As the magazine reported, “Hezbollah knows it can play the long game much better than a traditional army, even one as powerful as Israel’s.”

The media outlet also pointed to the possibility of a large-scale war in Lebanon, in which resistance fighters from Iraq and Syria could also be involved. In the “ultimate nightmare scenario,” Iran and the USA could also be drawn into the war.

The constant threats of war by Israeli politicians against Lebanon are linked to attempts to expel Hezbollah’s special forces and other units from the border area. However, such a task or brokering such a clause in an agreement is considered almost impossible.

“In hardly any scenario would Israel gain more from a military confrontation with Hezbollah than from a diplomatic dispute,” The Atlantic wrote.

Nevertheless, the Israeli occupation forces continue to intensify their attacks on southern Lebanon, assassinating Hezbollah fighters and leaders, and responding with similar attacks deep in the northern occupied territories.

Hezbollah has linked the fate of the northern front to that of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and made it clear that it will not cease its operations until Israeli aggression against the besieged territory ends.

In the south, another battle is raging, and although Gaza is now in ruins and thousands of Palestinians have been killed, most of the hostages are still with Hamas, which remains strong despite Israeli promises to crush the resistance movement. This, the US magazine says, represents a “strategic disaster for Israel.”

Finally, the magazine calls on Netanyahu to look north, “where a far more formidable opponent awaits him,” and to learn the lessons of the era of Begin, who, as deputy ambassador to the United States, believed he could “clean up the chaos in the Middle East once and for all”: “There is no military victory to be won in a large-scale war against Lebanon.”

Read more: Hezbollah attacked 2,295 Israeli targets: Israeli research