from ZeroHedge:
There’s been obvious escalation for several weeks at the Israel-Lebanon border, as we’ve been documenting. But on Sunday Israel’s military issued one of the most dire alarms yet, saying it is on the brink of a full-scale war with Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation,” the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, warned. “We are committed to the diplomatic process, however Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon.”
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The statement was tailored largely in response to ongoing pressure from the Biden administration to avoid launching a bigger war at all costs.
The White House has repeatedly warned that escalation in Lebanon would neither be good for Israel nor for the region, and would risk a broader major war with Iran. There is also widespread acknowledgement that Hezbollah, the Shia paramilitary group backed by Iran, is much more powerful and better armed force than Hamas:
“Hezbollah is the crown jewel in the Iranian empire of terror and evil and is by far the most powerful Iranian proxy, equipped with nation state capabilities and even more firepower than several European countries have today,” former IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus told Fox News.
“In a military comparison, Hezbollah is far more powerful than Hamas,” he added.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Whoever thinks he can hurt us and we will respond by sitting on our hands is making a big mistake.” He had added at a time when massive fires were spreading in the north due to constant Hezbollah drone and missile attacks, “We are prepared for very intense action in the north.”
The past several days have seen hundreds more missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah onto northern Israeli bases and settlements.
White House adviser Amos Hochstein has been meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem Monday to talk about the escalating crisis. The NY Times described the backdrop as follows: “Hezbollah’s attacks have gradually intensified, with the group using larger and more sophisticated weapons to strike more often and deeper beyond the border. Both sides have refrained from engaging in full-blown war, but the tension has increased in the past week.”
