Over the past two weeks, Israel has engaged in a series of preemptive attacks in an effort to decrease Hezbollah’s will and ability to continue its war against Israel. Simultaneously, the war in Gaza shows no signs of
abating as Hamas has rejected every offer, even one that would’ve allowed the head of Hamas and his family safe passage out of Gaza. Israel is at war on multiple fronts; here’s where things stand.
Operation Northern Arrows
In the wake of what many believe to be among the most brilliant acts of modern warfare in generations, it appears that Israel was able to ensure explosive-laden pagers and walkie-talkies ended up in the hands of Hezbollah, detonating the devices as part of Israel’s strategy to deter Hezbollah from continuing its war on Israel.
Following the attacks via communications devices, Israel launched a series of aerial attacks striking nearly 2,000 targets in recent days. The bulk of these targets were locations where known rocket launchers and the like were being hidden amongst the civilian population of southern Lebanon. Israel warned the civilian population in advance to leave the area – just as it has in Gaza – and many did.
Israel's actions have resulted in a significant deterioration of Hezbollah’s “middle management” and a near-total destruction of the organization’s top military tier. For example, among those killed were the head and several deputies of Hezbollah’s Radwan unit – which is their terrorist version of special forces.
Attack on Tel Aviv
As a result of Israel’s preemptive action, Hezbollah was dealt a highly significant blow, thereby decreasing the terrorist organization’s ability to harm Israel. Nonetheless, prior to October 7th Hezbollah was believed to have upwards of 150,000 rockets, missiles and drones. And while a significant number of fighters, missiles, and other terror infrastructure has been taken offline in recent days, many more remain.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv. The projectile was intercepted by a joint US-Israeli anti-missile defense system known as David’s Sling, the first time the system was used to take down a missile from the north. The action foreshadows what is known to be Hezbollah’s primary tactic: mass bombardment of Israeli population centers.
The Lebanese-based terror group claims the missile was directed at the headquarters of Israel’s famed intelligence service, Mossad, which is largely believed to be responsible for the pager attacks. But the reality is that Hezbollah doesn’t much care if its rockets and missiles hit Israeli population centers. They are terrorists; there will be no warning to innocents as is provided by Israel.
On All Fronts
What comes next is to be seen, but after Hezbollah’s escalation with the attempted attack on Tel Aviv, the Israeli defense establishment is moving (as they had already been) people into places in anticipation of a ground campaign against Hezbollah. The Israeli aims have been laid out and are simply this: the ability of 60,000+ Israelis to be able to return home to their communities in the north. Whether by political agreement or the physical removal of Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon, the Israeli defense and political establishment have made it crystal clear that they will achieve this goal.
As all this is taking place, we must not forget even for one second the 101 hostages that remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza as well as the thousands of brave Israeli warriors risking everything to secure the hostages’ release and end Hamas rule over every inch of Gaza once and for all. Unfortunately, diplomatic efforts to secure their release have been all but abandoned as Hamas tragically seems firmly committed to this conflict continuing – with all the destruction that entails.
Likewise, Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria, as well as the Houthi’s continue their attacks against Israel at every opportunity. In fact, just this week Shia terror groups in Iraq and Yemen have continued their attacks, with one drone strike in Eilat harbor wounding at least one person.
Israel is in the midst of her most perilous moment in at least half a century. Though we pray every day for the return of the hostages and an end to the bloodshed, we recognize that this war is unlikely to end tomorrow. Israel is currently utilizing immense resources to defend her existence against the Iran-backed ring of fire, and until this conflict ends, we’ll be there to ensure the U.S. has Israel’s back, and Washington is providing Jerusalem with the tools she needs to defeat the great enemy of our day.
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team
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