Nasrallah's masterful strategic behavior: Israeli Gen. op-ed

By Al Mayadeen English
15 Feb 2024 16:34
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In an op-ed, Israeli general Gershon Hacohen details how Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's battle of wits poses a major threat to "Israel's" existence.

Supporters of Hezbollah raise their fists and cheer, as they listen to a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaking via a video link during a ceremony, Wednesday, January 3, 2024. (AP)

Reserve Major General Gershon Hacohen wrote an op-ed for the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, detailing the strategic behavior of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during the current war on Gaza.

Hacohen said that Sayyed Nasrallah has been keeping his vow to aid Hamas, but also looking for an opportunity to level up Hezbollah's positioning as a regional power.

He added that Hezbollah's missile attack on Safad on Wednesday was an "elevation in the proportion of escalation", within the restrictions the Secretary-General has been trying to maintain in his direction of the war to avoid a full-scale regional one.

In this context, Hacohen remarked on the necessity of analyzing the particular reason that makes Nasrallah a dangerous threat to "Israel's" existence, not only for Hezbollah's great military power and large and progressive rocket arsenal but primarily for his masterful strategic behavior.

Hacohen revisited the days of "Israel's" humiliating withdrawal from Lebanese soil in May, 2000 and noted that that was the moment Hezbollah adopted an elevated strategic identity committed to influence the entire region, not just Lebanon.

He also commented that Hezbollah succeeded in further cementing this new identity and transcending as an influential regional power following October 7. Simultaneously, Hacohen clarified that Hezbollah took advantage of the United States' aversion to a blown-out regional war and created a battle formula that restricts fighting in a way that ensures the safety of Lebanon and its protection from the risks of the war.

Using this strategy, Hacohen considered Nasrallah as a victor in turning the northern front into an active battlefield, and the settlements at the frontlines into ghost complexes after forcing at least 70,000 settlers out.

The art of extortion

Meanwhile, using the key he possesses to unlock and recur stability in the northern arena, Nasrallah gave American and French political mediators demands for the region that "Israel" had not previously implored, Hacohen said.

According to the Israeli General, Sayyed Nasrallah sought conflict on around ten territories within the charter of the Armistice Agreement of 1949, and later the 1967 war during which "Israel" usurped the Lebanese Shebaa Farms and Ghajar Village in Al-Khalil, which prompted the French to suggest demilitarization on the borders between occupied Palestine and Lebanon and negotiations to amend the borders as per Nasrallah's demands.

Hacohen coined Nasrallah's tactic as "the art of extortion" that he mastered, which also caused a suspension of fighting until Hezbollah decides otherwise, based on what the Resistance regards as the appropriate time, regardless of whether it agrees to a political settlement or is not sufficed with "Israel's" concessions regarding the occupied lands.

Previously, Hacohen described Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a "master of directing conflict and fighting", emphasizing that he especially aims to humiliate "Israel" and stump its morale. He also said that Hezbollah succeeded, through a "simple effort" of firing a few missiles and drones a day, in preventing Israeli settlers from returning to their "homes."

On the progression of the war on the northern front, Hacohen proclaimed that Hezbollah placed "Israel" in a chokehold and made it harder for settlers to return to northern settlements even if a ceasefire between the occupation forces and Hezbollah was established because there would be no guarantees that the area would be clear of any threats or dangers, as well as Hezbollah's determination to strike "Israel's" North and center.

Lastly, Hacohen affirmed that Hezbollah, as a military power, will always be present in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, and will always relentlessly grow as a threat against "Israel".

A Victorious Resistance

In constant glory, Hezbollah prepares for its victory against the Israeli occupation.

The head of Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary Bloc said that the Israeli occupation will inevitably meet its demise, declaring that the entity is in a state of decline and that "we are in the stage preceding that of victory."

In an event commemorating the martyred commanders of Hezbollah in the Lebanese village of Jebshit, MP Mohammad Raad said that day after day, the entity is revealing its racism and inability to coexist with humans.

Saluting the fallen leaders, Raad assured that their legacy is alive with thousands of Resistance fighters who are still confronting the Israeli occupation and protecting the country.