Israel faces its enemies

After nearly a year of war against the terrorists of Hamas in Gaza, Israel is now shifting its military might to the north, as it focuses on Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist organization that largely operates in the southern regions of Lebanon. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are Iran-backed Islamist militant organizations that explicitly aim to eliminate Israel and terrorize its people.

For the past week, Israel has led high-precision operations, hitting major military facilities of Hezbollah and killing many of its known leaders. Israel confirms eliminating multiple top Hezbollah commanders in one strike on Friday. Some reports say that Israel struck more than 800 Hezbollah targets, including missile launchers and military buildings, covering regions in the south and east of Lebanon. These strikes have been significantly successful to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities, and that is the point.

Of course, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets against Israel and prides itself in reaching parts of cities like Haifa and Megiddo. Sadly, while the Israeli operations have been precise in targeting military leaders and terrorist facilities, many civilians have been affected, as Hezbollah—like Hamas—shields its leaders and military facilities with civilians. Reports estimate that tens of thousands of Lebanese are now displaced, as they had to flee the southern parts of their country. Those figures will likely rise.

This humanitarian reality magnifies the tragic situation in the Middle East: Terrorists and tyrants control the lives of innocents who can hardly speak against them. In Lebanon, you cannot criticize Hezbollah openly or your family would be harmed. Many are afraid to even mention the name of the terrorist group, as spies are believed to be everywhere. Although it is not the governing leadership in Lebanon, Hezbollah controls everything in this beautiful country through fear and terror. The same tragedy exists in Gaza. No one dares to speak up to question Hamas’ rule and its horrendous leadership. After all, the consequences may mean that critics quickly and quietly disappear from the face of the planet.

This is the horrific reality that many innocents experience in Iran, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and other nations in the region. Israel simply hopes to survive and protect its people.

But what about Iran itself? Will there be a full-blown war between Iran—with its allies—and Israel?

Iran has not yet executed major actions against Israel in response to recent attacks against Hamas and Hezbollah. Nor was there any significant attack in response to the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Still, no one should underestimate Iran. And yet, we can expect that a full-scale war will be discouraged by various players.

The international community strongly opposes any escalation of that sort, and the Israeli operation into Lebanon—though successful and far-reaching—appears limited and aimed to cripple Hezbollah’s armed capabilities. Also, Iran isn’t in a tactical position to lead a major war. Its president, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated openly that he doesn’t want war with Israel. Additionally, Israel doesn’t want to expand military fronts, especially as its government is under tremendous pressure to stop the war in Gaza. The opening of a new front in the north would face great opposition from inside Israel. Even Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, indicated in the aftermath of last week’s exploding pagers and walkie-talkies that his group does not want a wider war.

With these considerations in mind, an all-out war in the region is unlikely—at least for now. Israel’s specific goal is to cripple Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north and hope for peace.

But Hamas and Hezbollah are ideologically driven, the former is Sunni and the latter is Shiite. They stir their warriors by declaring Islamic verses and galvanize attacks by advancing hate toward everything Israeli and anything Jewish. Both groups explicitly seek the annihilation of Israel and what it represents. Through their Islamic sentiments, these terrorist groups keep surviving by misleading people and harming innocents who never dare to stand up against the tyrants.

For the sake of the innocents in the entire Middle East, the mission to reduce the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah should be supported by all those who love life and peace.