On March 29, hours after Israel launched air strikes on a Hezbollah compound near Aleppo, Syria, killing seven of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite organization’s fighters and dozens of Syrian military personnel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the Jewish state was “turning from defending to pursuing Hezbollah wherever the organization operates, in Beirut, Damascus and in more distant places.”
The one lesson nearly all Israelis have learned from the nearly 6-month-long war launched by Hamas is that a genocidal adversary cannot be allowed to build a massive paramilitary apparatus along their border. In virtually every respect, Hezbollah is a more formidable enemy than Hamas. Its fighters are more numerous, better armed, better trained, and more battle-hardened by years of operations in the Syrian civil war. It has a far larger and deadlier rocket and missile arsenal. It has a proven ability to launch mass casualty terror attacks worldwide and controls a vast transnational crime syndicate anchored in Lebanese Diaspora communities across the globe.
For more on Israel’s looming showdown with Hezbollah, see the selections below from MEF staff, writing fellows, and guest contributors.
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Israel Must Preempt Hezbollah
by Jonathan Spyer (Mar 5, 2024)
Tactics and Strategy in the War with Hezbollah
by Jonathan Spyer (Mar 2, 2024)
Post-War Gaza Stability Requires Stopping Iran and Hezbollah
by Benjamin Weinthal (Feb 19, 2024)
Lebanon Must Be Freed from Hezbollah and Iran
by Gregg Roman (Feb 15, 2024)
Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ after October 7, Part 1: Hezbollah
by Amatzia Baram (Jan 25, 2024)
Israeli War with Hezbollah Is Inevitable and Necessary
by Nave Dromi (Jan 15, 2024)
Amid Israel’s War with Hamas, the North May Be the Most Important Front
by Jonathan Spyer (Oct 20, 2023)
