Yesterday, Hizballah carried out multiple attacks on northern Israel, wounding five soldiers, and air defenses shot down what appeared to be a drone that had crossed the border from Lebanon. The IDF responded with multiple airstrikes on Hizballah positions. On Sunday, meanwhile, it began the process of pulling units out of Gaza, perhaps in preparation for escalation along the northern border. The Iran-backed terrorist group is better trained and equipped than Hamas, and has an even more extensive and sophisticated network of tunnels, some of which are designed for cross-border attacks.
After the experience of October 7, Israelis are unwilling to live with this threat, and Jerusalem appears to hope that there will be a political solution, involving the U.S., France, and regional powers. But if no satisfactory resolution is forthcoming, Washington is likely to try to prevent Israel from striking preemptively. Michael Oren argues that the Jewish state might have to ignore such warnings:
Whenever America tells us “Don’t go to war” and we [in Israel] reply, “Yes, but”—in 1948, in 1956, in 1967, in 1981 (the destruction of the Iraqi reactor)—we earn respect from Washington. When we answer with, “Yes, alright”—as was the case in 1973 and in 1991 (the first Gulf War)—we are looked at with contempt from the White House. Today, as Americans keep telling us “Don’t go to war against Hizballah and open a northern front,” it is imperative that we look back at past such interactions.
Israel faces an intolerable situation in the north and a threat that no sovereign state in the world would tolerate. Among Israeli decision-makers, there is hope that our victory over Hamas will deter Hizballah, but that victory will likely take time. In the meantime, there is a danger that Hizballah will wait until the IDF tires and American support for Israel wanes, and then it will open fire.
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/12/27/this-is-how-israel-could-earn-americas-respect/