Bibi Gunning

“Just imagine if terrorists turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns … How long would the American government tolerate that? Yet Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I’ve come here today to say: Enough is enough.” As the US and other allies call for a ceasefire, Netanyahu (who the US says was part of the ceasefire coordination) vows that Israel will keep ‘degrading Hezbollah’ until its objectives are met. Degrading Hezbollah is a worthy goal, but will associated efforts come at the expense of degrading Israel’s relationship with America and other allies?

+ Two notable things about this moment. One, America’s limited ability to reign in Bibi. And two, Iran’s reluctance to get involved. WaPo: Hezbollah is pounded by Israel, but key ally Iran is reluctant to intervene. “Iran’s focus on engagement and its hesitance to intervene on the ground demonstrate the limited military options available to reestablish deterrence with Israel after a year of heightened hostilities in the region, analysts and diplomats say.”

+ “Hezbollah, which alone among Lebanon’s militias kept its arms following the conclusion of that country’s civil war, has always claimed that its belligerence is necessary to protect Lebanon. But Hezbollah’s actions since—which have almost always been in the service of its own political needs, or those of its ungrateful Iranian sponsors—have brought nothing but pain for all Lebanese, and particularly for the downtrodden Lebanese it claims to represent.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Nasrallah’s Folly.

+ Meanwhile, “several large explosions have rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut as the IDF said it had struck Hezbollah’s headquarters. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target.” (It would be surprising if Hezbollah leaders were spending time at Hezbollah HQ these days.)