'Israel's' Lebanon policy is stuck in the year 2000: Foreign Policy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Foreign Policy
19 Jul 2024 19:26

The newspaper says that the Israeli occupation is incapable neither of eliminating Hezbollah nor ensuring it can maintain ground in south Lebanon in case of an invasion.

Listen

A screenshot from a video released by the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, Hezbollah, showing footage of its fighters preparing for an operation against positions for the IOF on November 10, 2023 (Hezbollah Military Media)

The American newspaper Foreign Policy doubted the ability of "Israel" to extend its control over the occupied Palestinian territories in light of Hezbollah's operations and the displacement of more than 80,000 Israelis from northern settlements.

In an article titled "Israel's Lebanon Policy Is Stuck in the Year 2000," which refers to the year the Resistance in Lebanon liberated southern Lebanon from decades-long occupation, the outlet stated that the situation on the northern front "is unbearable for Israelis," who fear a Hezbollah operation similar to the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7.

The occupation has no clear vision regarding "the day after the war" and "the path forward once the fighting stops," and these questions trouble the Israeli army when it comes to the Lebanese front, the outlet added.

A full-scale war will not only lead to widespread destruction in Lebanon but also the occupation's settlements and military bases, it said, stressing that the occupation is incapable of decisively winning the war against the Resistance in Lebanon.

A war with Lebanon "holds no strategic meaning for Israel" because it will not be able to ensure its forces’ ability to occupy Lebanese territories, the newspaper said, adding that "the war will lead to much bloodshed."

It added that Israeli deterrence weakened even before the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, pointing out Hezbollah's direct deployment of its forces to the border and its alleged periodic attempts to infiltrate into northern occupied Palestine.

"Israel" is unable to "eliminate the threat of Hezbollah" despite its firepower and destructive capability, and this is what drives the entity's leaders to avoid any war with the Resistance in Lebanon, the foreign policy concluded.