The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an article by a former general in which he commented on the statements of Defense Minister Yoav Galant that the army has shifted its focus to the north and that it may launch a ground attack on the Lebanese Hezbollah in the near future, noting that Israel has not achieved any of its goals in the war it is waging in Gaza, “so how can it defeat the Lebanese Hezbollah in this case?”
General Yitzhak Brick described Galant’s statements as worrying, similar to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said.
Brick stressed that these three men did not achieve any of the goals they set for the war in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent of which was “destroying the Hamas movement and freeing all the detainees.” In fact, Hamas still controls all aspects of life in the entire Strip, including the city of tunnels and all the residents of Gaza, according to Brick.
The Israeli army has no way of ending Hamas rule, even if it has become weaker than in the past, but the continuation of the fighting has lost its purpose, according to the writer, and the war of attrition is now destroying everything good in Israel, from its economy to its international relations, its ability to survive socially, to the point that many reserve soldiers refuse to be called up again and again.
However, ignoring these serious facts, as Brick says, Netanyahu, Galant and Halevi are determined to launch a ground war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which would likely deal a fatal blow to Israel. It is also certain that the army that failed to destroy Hamas will not be able to destroy Hezbollah, which has become hundreds of times stronger than Hamas.
Since the IDF’s high command has reduced its ground forces by 66 percent compared to 20 years ago, it does not have enough forces to stay long in any territory it occupies, nor does it have forces to replace those who fight. As a result, the army will be forced to leave any territory it occupies, which is what happened in Gaza and will happen in Lebanon, according to Brick.
multi-front war
The biggest problem with a ground attack on Hezbollah, Brik believes, is that it could lead to a multi-front war, with thousands of rockets, missiles and drones being fired at Israel’s interior, while ground wars erupt on five fronts, in Lebanon, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and “Iranian-backed forces infiltrating across the Jordanian border” in addition to the ongoing fighting in Gaza.
The former general warned that Israel, which will deploy almost all of its ground forces on the northern border, will not have enough forces to deploy in other areas, which will make others view the Israeli army as weak and without capabilities. The greater tragedy is the deterioration of the army’s strength over the past twenty years, which means that the statements of Netanyahu, Galant and Halevi are all based on capabilities that do not exist, he said.
The former general said that a senior American official warned of a comprehensive war with Hezbollah, and said that any escalation could lead to catastrophic and unexpected results. He also said that avoiding a comprehensive war is possible, but if it breaks out, both sides will pay a heavy price, and thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, will die.. and the infrastructure will be severely damaged.
Brick concluded that Israel will not be able to destroy Hezbollah easily, will enter a large-scale war, and the residents of northern Israel will not be able to return to their homes quickly. Then, in the end, a deal must be made, the broad outlines of which are already clear, he said.
