America’s response to the sudden removal of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah [1] is going to make or break what is probably one of the Israeli military’s boldest and most brilliant operations. Rarely does the elimination of a single individual shift regional dynamics as dramatically as Nasrallah’s.
Israel has in seven days’ time managed to outsmart and outmaneuver Iran by taking out Nasrallah, along with Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israel has also pounded the Houthis’ ports and power plants in Yemen, in multiple strikes all 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 greenlighted Israel’s actions in Lebanon, despite having plausible deniability.
“The United States was not involved in Israel’s operation. We had no advance warning,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remarked [2] at Joint Base Andrews on September 27, 2024.
America’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 multifront 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 [3], always after, and in the end, they come to terms and support this, 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, told The Media Line. “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 Israelis dead, saw Hamas kidnap 251, and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes near the Gaza border.
Would America stand by if any US state were breached as Israel has been on multiple borders? Israel is 413 times smaller than the US and a sitting duck 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 [4], US Marine barracks [5], and US Embassy annex [6], all in Beirut. The allied Kata’ib Hezbollah group also attacked US forces in Iraq between 2003 and 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 cease-fire. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump remained silent, though his son-in-law Jared Kushner defended Israel’s right to self-defense in a rare political tweet, 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 not only by Hezbollah but also fellow proxies for Iran in Iraq and Syria.
This did not commence on October 7.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis continue to wreak havoc on American bases and naval activity in the Red Sea.
A weakened Hezbollah now finds itself in a holding pattern.
What message does the Western world wish to send to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and to terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic State, and al-Qaida? These groups hold the civilized world hostage, and there is no indication that their doctrines or their disdain for Western civilization will change soon.
If the US pushes for a cease-fire 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 cease-fires are temporary and fail to address the root causes of conflict. How many times has Hezbollah violated a cease-fire with Israel? UN Security Council Resolution 1701 [7], which was 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 has never disarmed, has built tunnels more extensive than Hamas, and has 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 shutter to imagine.
America 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 hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel reportedly knows the whereabouts of 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 impact dramatically the South,” Brig. Gen. Avivi told me in our recent conversation. “When Hamas sees the ways we destroy Hezbollah, they understand it’s game over for them. They hoped that a regional war would shift everything in their favor, and it’s working exactly the opposite.”
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.