Netanyahu’s Gambit to Hide his Loses
Israel’s prime minister has said the “intense phase” of fighting Hamas in Gaza is nearly over, allowing forces to move to the northern border with Lebanon to confront its ally Hezbollah. He went on to say that it “doesn’t mean the war is about to end”. While discussing the issue of a possible confrontation with the Lebanese group Hizbolla he said, “We can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s comments about winding down the Gaza war due to his military’s successes to focus on the Lebanese border seems a bit disengenious. Palestinian Resistance attacks continue to be intense. In the last three days alone resistance groups in Gaza have carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces. These attacks have included missile strikes, armed clashes, and confrontations to expel Israeli incursions.
Yesterday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, 12 Israeli soldiers were injured in a single explosive device attack. At least two Israeli evacuation helicopters were at the seen ferrying away the injured.
Virtually all of the locations in Gaza that were once declared “cleared” by the Israeli military of resistance elements have seen intense clashes and/or attacks carried out by Palestinian resistance fighters. So why is Netanyahu having a “Mission Accomplished” moment? I believe, and Allah knows best, that this is an attempt to show his domestic audience that his leadership is worth keeping around because he is making progress on the battlefield.
It should be kept in mind that the Israeli forces believed that they would completely capture and control the Gaza Strip in it’s entirety in just a few short weeks. 8 and a half months later they are in a dangerous game of “whack a mole” with crafty resistance fighters who know the terrain better than the Israelis do and thus they are able to carry out numerous attacks and then escape through tunnels or through the remnants of destroyed buildings.
Whether or not Netanyahu is serious about a war with Hizbollah is not clear as of yet. However what is clear is that Israeli casualties are mounting, public sentiment in Israel regarding Netanyahu’s government’s handling of the war is at an all time low, and mass protests to bring home Israeli hostages are ongoing and growing each week. This coupled with no tangible results in the capture or killing of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar or Mohammed Deif creates a toxic mix wherein Netanyahu is forced to show he is making some progress and thus can move his “victorious” forces to the Lebanese front.
By Bilal Abdul Kareem
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