The Hebrew newspaper “Maariv” reported on Monday about three options available to the Secretary General of Hezbollah in the aftermath of the assassination of the party’s second in command and head of the military wing, Abu Ali Tabatabai.
The newspaper quoted the Israeli analyst Amatzia Baram as saying that “the leader of Hezbollah has only three options, given the Israeli army’s escalation of its attacks”, adding that “the complex picture emerging behind the scenes reveals a worrying reality, as the rate at which the party rearms and rebuilds exceeds the rate of its degradation, while the Lebanese government refrains from fulfilling its commitments”.
He continued, “In light of these developments, Tel Aviv is preparing for a focused operation that is likely to last at least several days, in an attempt to inflict significant damage to Hezbollah’s capabilities”.
He said that the central question occupying Tel Aviv now is how Hezbollah will respond to the Israeli escalation, adding that the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, has already made three major concessions that would not suit the party under normal circumstances.
He explained that he halted fire with Israel despite the ongoing war in Gaza, did not join Iran in the twelve day war, and did not respond to the killing of around 300 fighters last year, adding, “The question is whether Qassem will be able to continue this policy of restraint”.
Three Options
The Israeli analyst claimed that the younger commanders within Hezbollah want to respond to Tel Aviv, and that it is impossible to know how they will act, but Hezbollah currently faces three options: the first is not responding at all and continuing to rebuild its military infrastructure, the second is to attack only Israeli military sites, and the third is to escalate by attacking border settlements.
But Baram ruled out a wide scale attack on Nahariya, Acre, Haifa, and other areas, estimating that Hezbollah is currently studying the matter, and that Tel Aviv will soon know the nature of the response. He claimed that “Qassem is hesitant, and everyone in the party is hesitant, and they face a difficult dilemma”.
He added, “Beyond the military damage, the assassination of Tabatabai is a humiliation and a blow to the party’s dignity”, adding that from the perspective of the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia, the appropriate policy should be to continue Israeli pressure and economic incentives, with a special effort to convince Nabih Berri to withdraw from his alliance with Hezbollah.
Never trust the Israelis nomatter in whatever dealings they put forward. State of Israel must be dismantled and destroyed at whatever cost and no exceptions. The illegal state of ‘Israel’ cannot be allowed to exist because they are the toxic poison among human in this world creating wars and chaos.