Chain explosions on thousands of doorbells and walkie-talkies stuck in Lebanon and Syria not only neutralized hundreds of their men Hezbollah. Today, those in the Middle East who have contact with the pro-Iran organization know that they are traceable: if one of their electronic items is detonated, it is clear that they are working with Hezbollah.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health LebanonThe two operations caused a total of at least 32 deaths and more than 3,200 injured. “The new attack takes the war of attrition between Hezbollah and Israel to another level,” writes the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
It shows, in principle, that the “center of gravity” of the war has now shifted from Gaza “to the north,” as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad put it. After all, one of the Jewish state’s priorities is now to allow “displaced” Israelis living near the borders with Lebanon and Syria to return to their homes, “preventing the possibility of Hezbollah launching rocket attacks,” as the Times of Israel writes.
Why now?
But the question is “why now” he wanted Israel Why would such an attack be carried out? Perhaps to prepare for a much larger military operation in southern Lebanon? At a time when Washington is working hard to prevent the conflict from expanding, in view of the presidential elections in the United States.
The Times of Israel reported that “the Israeli military was already preparing an operation in the north, with the deployment of ground forces in southern Lebanon.”
But if “Netanyahu really decides to take such an initiative against Hezbollah, there is no guarantee that it will achieve the desired result,” while he is already struggling to achieve his goals in Gaza against a weaker adversary – Hamas, the Israeli newspaper notes.
The well-informed American website Axios, citing an Israeli official familiar with the operation, writes: “Israeli intelligence planned to use the captured electronic devices to launch an all-out war aimed at completely crippling Hezbollah. But Netanyahu feared that Hezbollah would discover the seized electronic devices, so he ordered the detonation to begin without delay.”
After all, Netanyahu has shown how he will not hesitate to lead Tel Aviv down a path of war with no return, even on its northern border.
How will Hezbollah respond?
The Lebanese organization “has vowed to respond, but its members appeared shocked, especially after the second wave of explosions,” writes the New York Times. Hezbollah must now “make a decision: either launch a major offensive to respond to Israel and restore the balance of terror, or expose itself to even more similar attacks in the future,” notes the French newspaper L`Orient-le Jour de Lebanon. But for Hezbollah, “the choice to escalate is not easy, because it could have devastating effects on its military and social environment, but also on the entire country,” adds the Beirut newspaper.
But the organization’s leaders realized how vulnerable their men were, seeing them fall one after another on the streets of Beirut as they queued to shop or attend funerals.
Defeat also for Iran
An important side effect is also the fact that the IranIran – the big loser of the last few months in the conflict with Israel – currently seems incapable of reacting and responding to the Israeli attack. Tehran – in simple terms – is also losing ground among its allies in the region, who see that the “big Shiite brother” cannot protect them. The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, is also among those injured in the booby-trap explosion.
In recent decades, the Islamic Republic has poured huge sums of money into defense. The ayatollahs chose the path of military buildup to keep the confrontation with Israel high. No one in Tehran had any illusions that this would reduce the technological gap with Israel, but at the same time, few believed that 2024 would see one defeat after another.
After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Iranian leadership threatened retaliation that never came. And now, with the simultaneous detonation of buzzers and portable radios in Lebanon and Syria, the Islamic Republic is seeing firsthand the enormous technological gap with Israel. Not only that, but many in Tehran are beginning to feel that this gap is not only significant, but insurmountable.
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