Netanyahu’s murky strategy against Hezbollah
By Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh
International affairs expert
The possibility of a full-scale ground invasion by Israel in southern Lebanon, spurred by the Majdal Shams incident in the occupied Golan Heights, has stoked international concern. In my opinion, notwithstanding the absence of overt full-scale warfare, Israel has, in effect, unleashed fierce assaults on Hezbollah positions over the past months. Israel’s primary objective in southern Lebanon is twofold: destroying Hezbollah’s strongholds and assassinating the movement’s top leaders and commanders.
The magnitude and scale of Israeli operations may be tenfold that of Hezbollah’s attacks, and the casualties are incomparable. Therefore, Israel has effectively launched an all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and is increasing its intensity daily to reach the movement’s strategic depth. Paradoxically, it is Hezbollah that has refrained from engaging in a full-blown war, opting instead for restraint.
Ever since the Majdal Shams incident occurred, regardless of who is accountable for the death of several children, Israel has leveraged the event as a pretext to launch further attacks on Hezbollah positions.
Therefore, it appears that Israeli Prime Minister Bejamine Netanyahu is employing a murky strategy regarding southern Lebanon, with the intention of attaining maximum gains and infiltrating Hezbollah’s strategic depth, while evading accountability for a full-blown conflict.
Following the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, Netanyahu has attempted to foil strategic threats against himself and is anticipated to persist with this approach until at least the end of the US presidential election. If Donald Trump wins the election, he will then advance his agenda more comfortably.
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