Will Hezbollah retaliate for the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah ?
The Israeli media responded to the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, with joy.
To mark Nasrallah's death, Amit Segal and Ben Caspit toasted with arak on Channel 12's "Meet the Press." Paz Robinson, a reporter for Channel 13, gave chocolates in Karmiel. Channel 13 is seen as left-leaning.
Channel 14's flagship program, The Patriots, opened with singing and celebrations directed by host Yinon Magal. In Ynet, Nadav Eyal stated:
"[Nasrallah's] assassination is an event on a regional, historic scale."
Politicians from both the left and the right echoed the media's enthusiasm.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats Party and former chairman of the Meretz party, who was previously perceived as the most left-mainstream politician in the state, was delighted with the assassination.
He stated on X:
"The assassination of Nasrallah is a huge and important achievement. A new era has begun in the Middle East."
The political spectrum, previously deeply divided over the return of captives from Gaza, has now united over Israel's perceived victory in eliminating Hezbollah's leadership.
Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, stated:
"Let all our enemies know that whoever attacks Israel will die."
Emboldened by success, the Israeli army released a video showcasing jets departing from Hatzerim air base in the Naqab desert, with radio exchanges between an air force commander and pilots.
Major General Tomer Bar, commanding officer of the Israeli Air Force, is heard stating in the film circulated to journalists:
"You’ve delivered a show of victory here, I believe."
"Well done. Immense pride."
A pilot responds:
"We will reach everyone, everywhere."
This was not enough.
Haaretz stated that the Israeli military was advocating for an invasion of southern Lebanon, citing military sources who indicated the necessity to capitalize on Hezbollah's disarray following recent blows before Iran gets the opportunity to replenish its missile supplies.
Reports revealed the deployment of three army units, totaling over 3,000 soldiers, to the West Bank.
On three fronts, the nation appeared to believe that Israel was winning the war. What a fitting end to a year filled with hopelessness and military setbacks in Gaza.
The departing American president, Joe Biden, presents Israel with a significant opportunity despite his evident ineffectiveness in curbing its actions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now challenged Biden on three occasions: on the reoccupation of Rafah, the acceptance of a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas, and the initiation of a new front in Lebanon.
Each time, he has managed to get away with it.
Before the United Nations General Assembly, many expected Netanyahu to take a defensive posture. Not at all. He exhibited fierce defiance. Netanyahu raised his middle finger to his chief armorer and ally. And Israel cheered him on.
The effect of America's failure to terminate all arms supply to Israel means there are now no obstacles to its killing spree.
There are no red lines.
Israeli pilots and drone operators are not required to consider the potential civilian casualties resulting from a missile directed at an alleged target. Regional army commanders recently received the authority to carry out assassinations, significantly enhancing their powers.
To conserve time, there is no referral up the chain of command. All civilians in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank are considered targets.
The taboos on killing children have vanished. This war has no bounds or red lines. Israel has the capacity to starve a population; it routinely employs torture and rape in its prisons, and it can celebrate.
Israel is believed to have murdered 300 people in its attacks on four apartment complexes over the alleged ‘’Hezbollah command center,'' predominantly civilians, while the international world remains largely silent.
Israel, drunk with power, is caught in a delusion. It may be the largest to date.
Eliminating its leadership and senior commanders has not, and cannot, kill Hezbollah nor prevent a new generation of warriors from emerging, who will not adhere to the restraints of the previous generation.
Israel cannot ensure what will come next. To date, Hezbollah has refrained from targeting civilians and has shown little intention in initiating a large-scale war with Israel.
Their assaults aimed to showcase Hezbollah's military capabilities rather than deliver fatal strikes. Hezbollah stated that their conflict would conclude upon the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza.
This restraint is almost certain to disappear. Hezbollah is forced to act. The policy has been established for it. Similar to Hamas and Gaza, Hezbollah is currently involved in a fight in which its adversary seeks not just to expel it from its main heartland but also to annihilate it entirely.
This has now evolved into an existential struggle for Hezbollah.
What's next? This is a question that Israel seldom contemplates during such times. It also fails to learn from the historical context of this bitter conflict.
Despite the extensive history of political assassinations aimed at instilling fear and deterrence, not a single case of decapitation has resulted in the demise or withdrawal of a militant organization. Hezbollah must revitalize and retaliate.
By showcasing its strength and wielding its sword, Israel has fostered a generation of youth in the Arab world who will ultimately pursue retribution.
All military power possesses limitations. Israel can only achieve security for its populace by returning to negotiations and terminating the occupation.
Otherwise, all they will have done is open the door for war for generations to come.
Israel has the capability to transform certain regions of Lebanon into a situation akin to that of Gaza. It has the capacity to devastate homes and countless lives. It has the capacity to wage war with the entire region. However, the primary basis of the conflict, which is the Palestinian national struggle, cannot be overlooked.
Palestine is an issue from which Israel, regardless of the number of wars it engages in, will never be able to escape. Future generations of Israelis will pay a heavy price for the pain their state has inflicted on Palestinians and Lebanese over the decades.
Today, Israelis celebrate their accomplishments in Lebanon. However, triumph incurs a significant cost.
Israel's "accomplishment" has resulted in killing around 1000 Lebanese within a week, including at least 50 children. It has normalized death and discarded the final remnants of humanity.
The depictions of devastation in Gaza and Lebanon will remain in the collective consciousness: Israel can only fulfill its national objective by increasingly destroying the lives of people under its dominion.