Israeli media: Hezbollah upswing over 17-years biggest Israeli failure

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
8 Jul 2023 11:09

In light of the possibility of war with Hezbollah, Yedioth Ahronoth highlights the Resistance group's upswing in the past 17 years.

Fighters from the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, Sunday, May 21, 2023 (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Israeli media reported that "Hezbollah's growing power over the past 17 years is the biggest failure in Israel," noting that "no one has succeeded in addressing it."

Yedioth Ahronoth's military affairs correspondent, Yossi Yehoshua, said, "Although there are many in the Israeli army who believe that Hezbollah does not want war, it is clear to everyone that the possibility of that now is the highest since the Second Lebanon War, which this week marks the 17th anniversary of its launch."

He added that "the probability of war with Hezbollah has risen, and it is at its highest since 2006, according to the Intelligence Section, as a result of many reasons, most notably the examination of the weak relations between Israel and Washington, and the internal rift."

Moreover, Yehoshua believed that there will be a war "the likes of which the home front has never known," stressing that the matter "will not be another round in Gaza."

The Yedioth Ahronoth correspondent also stressed the necessity of "stopping judicial legislation and demonstrations and preparing for this major incident, as the weak points are very clear to Hezbollah, and it is exploiting them."

In this context, it was also underscored that "Israel is going through a very decisive period, but it is not ready for a war with Hezbollah," adding that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, "is aware and knows when the anti-missile laser system will enter service and knows and is knowledgeable as to how many defense batteries there is."

"Hezbollah has intelligence, and everything is exposed," pointing out that "its upswing, over a period of 17 years, is the biggest failure in Israel, and no one has dealt with it," Yehoshua said.

The Israeli correspondent also urged occupation leaders to "stop everything and prepare for war," noting that "the most explosive of the five security arenas, which were active this week, is Lebanon."

The correspondent believed that "the biggest challenge for Israel now is dealing with Hezbollah and Nasrallah, who have been challenging Israel in the recent period," noting, in this context, "more risks that could lead to days of battle and possibly even escalate into full-scale war."

Additionally, the correspondent mentioned that "five arenas were active this week, namely Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, the Jenin camp in the West Bank, and attacks in Tel Aviv," but that "Lebanon is the most explosive arena, and the danger is increasing."

Yedioth Ahronoth concluded by saying that "Nasrallah is a master at identifying internal weaknesses in Israel," and then underscored that the Secretary General of Hezbollah is also "an expert on Israeli society, recognizes well the internal weakness - and this, among other things, is the reason for his willingness to take a risk," stressing that "the situation will, in the end, explode in the face of Israel."

This is not the first time that "Israel" announces its unpreparedness to face Hezbollah in any upcoming war. In 2021, Israeli media quoted Israeli reserve forces Major General, Yitzhak Brick, as saying that "the Israeli army is not ready for a multifront war," and that "Israel" is on the verge of losing it.

Brick, who had been criticizing the readiness of the Israeli occupation forces for years, said that his words were "not a prophecy of anger, this is the real truth," stressing that the next war will be internal.