Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched a drone attack on northern Israel's upper Galilee region. The Israeli military (IDF) said two of its soldiers were wounded and the attack ignited a fire.Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched a drone attack on northern Israel's upper Galilee region on Monday. The Israeli military (IDF) said two of its soldiers were wounded and the attack ignited a fire.
The attack appears not to be an escalation of violence but rather a part of its months-long battles along the Israeli border connected to the war in Gaza. However, Hezbollah did call its attack a response to Israel's recent killing of its top commander, Fouad Shurkur, and the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.
Israel's decision to kill terror leaders is the opposite of escalation. Rather than bomb civilians like former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has done to Israel for decades, Tel Aviv chose to fogo after the brains of these terror plots, which, in the longtermlong-term, leads to less bloodshed. These assassinations exemplify Israel's commitment to limiting civilian casualties and only fighting terrorism.
While Israel has a right to prepare for an all-out war with Hezbollah, its latest assassinations may not be the best path forward. Hezbollah knows it can't go face-to-face against Israel, and Iran doesn't want to lose its advanced weapons based in Lebanon, which means there is hope for a diplomatic solution. The US should sanction Lebanon to push it away from Iran and thus toward peace.
The US is incapable of controlling Israel or Lebanon. Washington's military aid to the Lebanese government has done nothing to deter Hezbollah, while its unwavering support of Israel has only emboldened the IDF. The US is now contradicting itself again by asking for both sides to choose diplomacy while also telling Israel it has American support should an all-out war take place. US foreign policy may push us into yet another Middle East war.