Conventional Wisdom On How Hamas Or Hezbollah Behave No Longer Holds True
US President Joe Biden left Israel on Wednesday after a diplomatic mission to show solidarity with the US ally, but also securing Israel’s commitment to allow humanitarian aid into the impoverished Gaza Strip and delivering an in-person warning to show restraint.
His high-stakes trip came against a backdrop of growing anger over a devastating blast at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday night. While Palestinian officials have blamed an Israeli airstrike for the explosion, Israel blames a failed rocket launch from inside Gaza by Islamic Jihad.
Based in Lebanon, Hezbollah is one of the most important Islamist movements in the Middle East. Although it has a powerful military wing, the group also runs a political party that wields decisive influence, TV stations and a prominent network of welfare services.
Since its foundation in 1982, Hezbollah has been blamed for a series of bloody acts of violence in Lebanon, against Israel and internationally as well. It has been designated as a terrorist entity by the US, Israel and some other countries.
Hezbollah has a force of 20,000 fighters, with a number of them highly trained and well armed, said Naveed Ahmed, an independent Gulf-based analyst specialising in Hezbollah. The group also has vast stocks of long-range missiles, which could strike almost anywhere in Israel.
Though there is no evidence of direct involvement, experts see the influence of Hezbollah in the Hamas atrocities in Israel 12 days ago. According to Matthew Levitt, at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, “there is no doubt that Hamas had Hezbollah input.”
If Hezbollah’s leaders decide in favour of escalating the current low-level hostilities, Israel could be put in a tighter spot as it fights a bloody and difficult two-front conflict. The war could even worsen to a regional conflagration as Syria, Iran, the US and other actors become involved.
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