Israeli strategy against Hezbollah, Hamas unclear: Liberman

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
14 Sep 2023 22:52
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Former Israeli Security Minister Avigdor Liberman criticizes the Israeli occupation for its lack of strategy in the face of Hezbollah and Hamas.

An Israeli soldier secures the entrance to the West Bank city of Al-Khalil, Aug. 22, 2023 (AP)

Former Israeli Security Minister Avigdor Liberman voiced his concerns on Thursday about the Israeli occupation's strategy, or lack thereof, against Hezbollah and Hamas.

Liberman said there was no clear strategy regarding how the Israeli government should confront Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Israeli Channel 12, Liberman mentioned that "Mossad chief Dadi Barnea suddenly spoke about attacks in Iran," while Security Minister Yoav Gallant "mentioned the construction of an airport (in Lebanon) just 20 kilometers from the border."

Liberman emphasized that "all this rhetoric appears to compensate for a lack of action, understanding, and a coherent strategy."

"It is well known that the Israeli army continues its strategy of offenses in Syria, but there is no clear answer and no clear strategy regarding how to deal with Nasrallah and Hamas in Gaza."

"There are no practical steps," the former Israeli security minister said. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is afraid, and he is not prepared to go back to assassinations and cutting the stream of funds going to Hamas in Gaza."

"The government is before a dead end, and there is a lack of action. Therefore, all the talk about Syria and Iran is to balance it out a little," stressing that "Netanyahu is playing the role of a businessman when it comes to Israel's security."

Netanyahu warned in August that whoever tries to "harm" the Israeli entity through financing Resistance operations or other means "will pay the full price."

Meanwhile, threats to assassinate senior members of the Hamas movement, including the head of the faction's political bureau Saleh al-Arouri, are "hollow" and will not succeed in weakening the Resistance, the movement said in a statement.

Recent Israeli attempts to put an end to the rising wave of Resistance operations in the Occupied West Bank have so far drastically failed, as per the occupation entity's confession. Rather, with every Israeli aggression, whether by a military attack or the detainment of Resistance fighters and leaders, a harder, more improvised operation takes place.

The occupation crashing strategy of subduing Palestinians in giving up armed struggle as the main tool to fight the occupation has pushed "Tel Aviv" to consider explicitly readopting and implementing outdated policies, including targeted assassinations.

But given the continued erosion of Israeli deterrence and the exponential growth in Resistance capabilities, as per its military and political leadership, this decision has never been more difficult.

In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen published in late August, al-Arouri mentioned that the Israeli occupation entity has a long history of carrying out assassinations and assassination attempts against Resistance leaders, but that this "does not change my beliefs and stances, nor will it alter my path by so much as an inch."

Hamas confirmed in the statement that the Palestinian Resistance will continue on the path of its martyrs and fight the occupation entity until all the nation's legitimate rights are claimed

Palestine has now entered the era of resolving this conflict, as evidenced by the attempts at the Judaization of the West Bank and the deportation of Palestinians, al-Arouri pointed out.

The breakout of an all-out war is inevitable at this point, he continued.

He also reminded of the commitment expressed by the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, when he said that any attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Quds would be met with regional war, and also recalled Sayyed Nasrallah's speech on the liberation of Al-Jalil.