On Friday evening, the IDF carried out one of the largest assassination operations it has ever done, in the bunker that served as the official separator of Hezbollah and was located on the outskirts of Beirut. The attack killed Hassan Nasrallah, the organization’s secretary-general, along with Ali Karachi (head of the organization’s southern headquarters, who survived an assassination attempt a few days ago), Abbas Nilferoshan (commander of the Lebanese corps of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, Mahdawi’s replacement, who was killed six months ago), and other senior officials.
Nasrallah was one of Israel’s most bitter, difficult and prolonged enemies. For 32 years, he led the Hezbollah terrorist organization, turning it from a small terrorist organization of hundreds of fighters, into the largest and most powerful non-political military organization in the world, with tens of thousands of fighters and international influence, and into the dominant political movement in Lebanon. Israel waged war against him in the security strip in the framework of “accountability” and “grapes of rage” operations, the Second Lebanon War in 2006 (in which 165 soldiers and fighters were killed), and the northern front in the current war. The man was known in every house and street in Israel, and had a dramatic impact on the history of our country; there is no doubt that he will not be missed, but he will be remembered for a long time in the future.
The assassination is a dramatic turning point in the war in particular, and in the Middle East in general. There is no escape from the recognition that the third Lebanon war has now begun in practice, and that iron must continue to be struck while it is hot. We must harm Hezbollah as much as possible, while removing the threat to the residents of the north and other citizens of Israel. The elimination also affects the Middle East dynamic, and the power of the Shiite axis in the world; Hezbollah is now on the verge of a major decline or change, and it must be seen how it will react to Israel.
In the meantime, the entire initiative is in Israeli hands, and it seems that Hezbollah is unable to respond due to the loss of leasers and systemic Israeli attacks. Hundreds of missiles and rockets were fired all over Israel today, from which few were wounded. It should be taken into account that Hezbollah was preparing for a situation of a powerful Israeli opening blow, and therefore there is no doubt that it is necessary to prepare for a defence in parallel with the attack. The IDF has recruited additional reserves, and according to the Chief of Staff, is quite ready for ground operations in Lebanon.
Most of all, the attack indicates a change in the Israeli approach, and the breaking of the barrier of fear against its enemies, and the loss of deterrence against Hezbollah. The attack was carried out almost in parallel with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech at the UN, and he approved it in a long-distance conversation. “As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has the right to remove this threat from our borders. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” he told the world just minutes before the attack. Now, Israel has risen to the dawn of a new day. The real war in the north has only just begun, but Israel is no longer the same Israel. It is stronger, more determined, and will not stop until victory.
