By Romana Rubeo 
A senior official reportedly emphasized that Israel might suffer greatly in a conflict with Hezbollah and may not achieve its objectives.
An American senior official, quoted by the Israeli website Walla on Tuesday, warned that a war between Israel and Hezbollah could have severe and unpredictable outcomes.
The official stated that such a war could result in significant Israeli casualties, with many potentially losing their homes due to Hezbollah’s missile capabilities, which could cause widespread destruction to Israeli infrastructure.
Speaking at the Middle East-America Dialogue (MEAD) Conference on Monday, the official reportedly said: “It’s not a game. I don’t doubt the capabilities of the IDF, but we have to think about the fact that there will be serious consequences for both sides”.
He emphasized that Israel might suffer greatly in a conflict with Hezbollah and may not achieve its objectives, particularly the complete destruction of Hezbollah or elimination of its missile arsenal.
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“There is an idea of let’s go to war and then eliminate all the missiles for Hezbollah and everything will be fine. It’s not that simple,” the official said, according to the report.
“There is no magic solution. You can’t destroy the other side. At the end of the war, Israel may pay a heavy price and not achieve its goals,” he reportedly added.
The report also cited the American official as saying that a war in Lebanon would result in the intervention of the international community to achieve a diplomatic settlement.
‘Historical Crossroads’
This is not the first time an official has expressed pessimistic about Israel’s chances of surviving a broad war against Hezbollah.
Last June, Haim Tomer, a former senior official at the Intelligence and Special Task Force, who served as head of the Intelligence Division and head of the Space Division, discussed the possible implications in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
According to Tomer, “entering a broad campaign in Lebanon (…) significantly risks Israel’s ability to function as a state with an economy, society, and international presence.”
“The public must understand that an all-out war threatens Israel’s Zionist vision,” he said.
‘Israel at a Crossroads’ – Former Intelligence Officer Warns of Hezbollah’s Unprecedented Threat
Tomer said that Hezbollah could paralyze the entire country by launching thousands of missiles. The Lebanese Resistance movement poses “an unprecedented threat” that the Israeli army cannot counter, the former Israeli official said.
“They have precision missiles that can destroy Israel’s gas fields in seconds. Israel cannot counter both Hamas and Hezbollah, especially with Hezbollah’s large number of drones and advanced detection systems,” he stated.
Tomer warned against underestimating Hezbollah’s capabilities, saying that their “tactical intelligence” is “at least as good as Israel’s”
According to the Israeli official, Tel Aviv is “at a historical crossroads.”
“Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas, with better intelligence and higher containment capabilities,” he also said. “Recent weeks have shown their precise intelligence and real-time capabilities.”
Northern Front
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
According to Hezbollah sources, the movement has carried out 1,194 military operations in the first 250 days of war, killing and wounding over 2,000 Israeli soldiers.
Full-Scale War on Hezbollah Will Backfire on Israel and America’s Arab Client-Regimes
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
It attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.
Israel, however, continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, namely the Sheeba Farms region.
Hezbollah has vowed to recover every inch of Lebanon that has been occupied by Israel contrary to international law.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
