The response of the United States to the sudden removal of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah could make or break one of Israeli’s boldest and most brilliant operations. Rarely has the elimination of a single individual shifted regional dynamics as dramatically as Nasrallah’s.
Within seven days, Israel managed to outsmart and outmaneuver the Islamic Republic of Iran by taking out Nasrallah, along with Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG). Israel has also pounded the Houthis’ ports and power plants in Yemen, in multiple strikes, meticulously planned and based on precise intelligence.
In a recent conversation I had with Brig. Gen. (ret.) Amir Avivi, who heads the Israel Defense and Security Forum, he asserted that the world has a “historical opportunity to deal with Iran.”
“What Israel did in seven days against Hezbollah, a global coalition can do in three days in Iran,” the general told me.
It is likely that US officials were aware of or even green-lighted Israel’s actions in Lebanon, despite plausible deniability. “The United States was not involved in Israel’s operation. We had no advance warning,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated at US Air Force Joint Base Andrews on September 27.
The US’s political and military support for Israel, both through words and weapons, will determine the outcome of this conflict – which threatens to escalate into a multi-front war. It will also signal to the Middle East which door America intends to walk through: one of defending borders and opposing medieval indoctrination and terrorism, or one succumbing to violence, submission, and a restructuring of the world order.
“The Americans are always dragging behind,” but in the end, they always come to terms and provide support, Prof. Eyal Zisser – vice rector and a lecturer in the Middle Eastern and African History Department and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies – at Tel Aviv University (TAU) said. “In the end, if needed, they will mobilize forces and continue to supply weapons,” he added.
Hezbollah began firing thousands of rockets at Israel the day after the October 7 massacre, which left 1,200 dead, 251 taken into Gaza, and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes.
American support
Would America stand by if any US state were breached as Israel was on multiple borders? Israel is 413 times smaller than the US and surrounded by Shia Islamist enemies dedicated to its destruction, including Hezbollah, whose aim is also to expel Western influence.
“HASSAN NASRALLAH and Hezbollah were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans during his four-decade reign of terror,” President Joe Biden said in response to Israel’s elimination of the Iranian-backed leader.
More than 300 Americans and Lebanese were murdered by Hezbollah in suicide truck bombings in 1983 and 1984 that targeted the US Embassy, US Marine barracks, and the US Embassy annex, in Beirut. The allied Kata’ib Hezbollah group also attacked US forces in Iraq between 2003-2011.
Vice President Kamala Harris supported the strike and Israel’s right to self-defense, but both she and President Biden called for de-escalation in Gaza and Lebanon. Hours later, Biden urged Israel to pursue a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump remained silent, though his son-in-law Jared Kushner defended Israel’s right to self-defense on X, in a rare political post, stating, “Israel cannot afford to stop now.”
More than 60,000 Israelis in the North have been displaced due to Hezbollah’s missile barrages. Rockets have continued to reach deeper into Israel, launched by Hezbollah and fellow proxies for Iran in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis continue to wreak havoc on American bases and naval activity in the Red Sea.
What message does the Western world wish to send to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and to terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic State, and al-Qaida? These groups are holding the civilized world hostage, and there is no indication that their doctrines or their disdain for Western civilization will change.
If the US pushes for a ceasefire now, the chance of halting the malevolent forces in the region may be lost. However, if Washington seizes this moment, it could accelerate positive changes in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and Iran, promoting freedom and stability across the region. Most ceasefires are temporary and fail to address the root causes of conflict.
How often has Hezbollah violated a ceasefire with Israel? UN Security Council Resolution 1701, meant to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War, called for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the unconditional release of abducted Israeli soldiers, but the terms were never fully realized.
Hezbollah’s support for Hamas has been evident since the endless rocket fire began on October 8. The Iran-backed proxy force never disarmed, built tunnels more extensive than Hamas, and stockpiled sophisticated long-range weapons, hiding them in civilian homes – just like Hamas.
This is not a group that will go quietly into the night. Diplomacy must be backed by a long-term plan.
If Hamas remains armed and indoctrinated, Hezbollah persists in its goal to destroy Israel, and Iran continues to develop its nuclear capabilities, the world could face an even graver crisis – one we all shudder to imagine.
THE US holds the key to a deal that could bring stability and cut off the growing wave of terrorism. It may also be the only way to secure the return of Israel’s hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel reportedly knows the whereabouts of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar but has chosen not to target him. He remains surrounded by a small number of the remaining hostages.
“What happens in the North would directly and dramatically impact the South,” Brig. Gen. Avivi said in our recent conversation.
“When Hamas sees the ways we destroy Hezbollah, they will understand that it’s game over for them. They hoped that a regional war would shift everything in their favor, and it’s working out in exactly the opposite way.”
It is time for the leaders of the free world to defend democracy, stop delaying arms shipments to Israel, and prevent future patchwork solutions to the region’s problems.
For Israel, this is no time for brakes. Bold moves and the backing of allies may be the only way to ensure a future on a path freer from terror.
The writer is president and CEO of The Media Line news agency and founder of the Press and Policy Student Program, the Mideast Press Club, and Women’s Empowerment Program. She can be reached at ffriedson@themedialine.org