Israel is already fighting a multi-front war and escalating against Hezbollah would only compound its difficulties. From Mitchell Plitnik at mondoweiss.net:
There are dangerous signs Israel intends to escalate attacks on Lebanon and raise the stakes with Hezbollah. If it does, the risk of a regional war grows enormously. The only way out is to end the fighting in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Israeli Army Headquarters in Tel Aviv, alongside Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown. (Photo: © Kobi Gideon/Israeli Gpo via ZUMA Press/Wire/APA Images)
“If Hezbollah chooses to start an all-out war, then it will single-handedly turn Beirut and South Lebanon, not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Younis.”
Those were the blustery words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, back in December. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire on a consistent basis, with some minor intensifications of fighting along the way, but have both been careful about escalating the confrontation. Now, however, it seems that a more significant escalation may be at hand.
On Tuesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi made a public statement, saying that “We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the IDF is prepared and very ready for this decision… we are prepared … to move to an attack in the North.”
Such statements are more easily dismissed as saber-rattling when they come from Israeli politicians than they are when they come from the military leadership. In this case, that’s especially true as the Israeli military—which, ironically, tends to be less aggressive than the politicians—is urging greater action against Hezbollah, and the political echelon seems to be listening. The day after Halevi made his statement, Netanyahu again threatened an attack on Lebanon.
STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC 