What is Hezbollah and how powerful is it?

Summary

Sky News Daily host Neil Patterson discusses the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. The discussion explores Hezbollah's origins, its ties to Iran, and its military capabilities. The Israeli air bombardment aims to weaken Hezbollah, amid fears of a broader conflict involving global powers like the U.S. and U.K. The program also addresses Hezbollah's leadership under Hassan Nasrallah, and the possibility of full-scale war if Israel's strikes escalate. Diplomatic efforts to avoid a larger regional war are also examined.

Takeaways

• 🔥 The Middle East, specifically the border between Israel and Lebanon, is experiencing heightened tensions with Israeli aerial bombardments targeting Hezbollah.
• 🌎 Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas continues, with both groups backed by Iran, raising fears of an all-out war that could involve global powers like the U.S. and U.K.
• 🏛️ At the United Nations, diplomatic efforts are underway to prevent an escalation, with a focus on Hezbollah's origins and its transformation from farmers to a formidable militant group.
• 🇮🇱 Israel's critics argue that its past invasions and occupations in Lebanon are responsible for the rise of Hezbollah, which claims to protect Lebanon from Israeli aggression.
• 🔄 Hezbollah, meaning 'Party of God', is both a military and political entity in Lebanon, committed to the Iranian Islamic revolution and opposed to Israel's existence.
• 🗣️ Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is a significant figure, having survived numerous assassination attempts and leading from a hidden bunker.
• 🔄 The potential for all-out war hinges on Iran's strategic use of Hezbollah's missile arsenal as an 'insurance policy' against Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities.
• 🏖️ Israel's military campaign has been effective against Hezbollah, but the group remains well-equipped and could escalate the conflict if pushed.
• 🚨 The possibility of a ground incursion by Israel raises questions about the potential for a bloody and prolonged conflict, similar to the 2006 Lebanon War.
• 🏢 The conflict's impact on Israeli politics, particularly for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is significant, with the military action seen as an attempt to restore deterrence and reputation.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the news report?

The main focus of the news report is the ongoing tensions and conflict between Israel and Lebanon, specifically the border dispute and the Israeli aerial bombardment targeting the militia group Hezbollah.

What is Hezbollah and what is its origin?

Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shiite militant organization with origins in the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. It emerged in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of Southern Lebanon and has grown into a formidable and effective militant organization supported by Iran.

How is Hezbollah different from Hamas?

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite organization, while Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organization based in Gaza and active in the West Bank. Both are backed by Iran but operate in different regions and have distinct objectives.

What role does Iran play in supporting Hezbollah?

Iran supports Hezbollah by providing weapons, funding, and training. Hezbollah serves as a proxy for Iran and is committed to the Iranian Islamic revolution, opposing the existence of Israel.

Who is Hassan Nasrallah and what is his significance?

Hassan Nasrallah is the leader of Hezbollah. He is a military commander, orator, and preacher. He has been leading the organization since 2006 and is known for his ability to rally support and maintain a strong military presence.

What are the diplomatic efforts being made to avoid an all-out war in the region?

Diplomatic efforts are underway at the United Nations, with involvement from the United States, the United Kingdom, and regional partners. These efforts aim to de-escalate the conflict and prevent a larger regional war.

What would a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

A full-scale war could involve extensive aerial bombardments, ground incursions by Israeli forces, and significant use of Hezbollah's missile arsenal. It would likely be bloody and difficult to resolve quickly due to Hezbollah's strength and integration with the local community.

How has Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza impacted its approach to Hezbollah?

Israel's ongoing campaign in Gaza has stretched its military resources, leading to a cautious approach towards Hezbollah to avoid a two-front war. However, there is a desire to restore deterrence and reputation in the region.

What is the significance of the Israeli operation against Hezbollah's fighters and commanders?

The operation aims to degrade Hezbollah's fighting capabilities by targeting its fighters and commanders, which could weaken its military operations and leadership on the ground.

How does the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah affect the Lebanese civilians?

The conflict results in a high civilian death toll in Lebanon, with Hezbollah being integrated with the community, making it difficult to separate military targets from civilian areas.

What is the potential impact of the conflict on the political situation in Israel?

The conflict could influence the political situation in Israel, particularly for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces criticism over his handling of the Gaza campaign and the need to demonstrate military strength and effectiveness.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Middle East Tensions: Israel-Lebanon Conflict

The script opens with a discussion on the longstanding tensions between Israel and Lebanon, focusing on the Israeli aerial bombardment targeting the Lebanese militia group, Hezbollah. The fear of an all-out war in the region is palpable, with the potential to involve global powers like the United States and the United Kingdom. The script mentions diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation and an upcoming discussion on what such a war might look like, featuring insights from the defense editor, Deborah Haynes, from Tel Aviv.

05:00

🔍 Origins and Role of Hezbollah

This section delves into the origins of Hezbollah, tracing back to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. It contrasts Hezbollah with Hamas, explaining that while Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organization based in Gaza, Hezbollah is Lebanese and Shiite. The discussion highlights Hezbollah's transformation from farmers to a formidable militant organization supported by Iran. It also addresses the political role Hezbollah plays in Lebanon and its commitment to the Iranian Islamic revolution, as well as the leadership of Hassan Nasrallah, who has been in hiding since 2006 due to Israeli assassinations of his commanders.

10:01

🤝 Diplomatic Efforts and Iran's Influence

The paragraph discusses the diplomatic efforts underway to resolve the conflict, particularly the role of the United Nations and the involvement of regional partners. It explores the indirect ways in which pressure can be applied to Hezbollah and Iran, through countries that have diplomatic channels with Iran. There's mention of a potential ceasefire and the reactions from different parties, including Israel's desire to press their advantage and the Iranian president's calls for caution to avoid falling into 'traps' set by Israel.

15:01

🚨 Assessing Hezbollah's Military Strength and Israeli Strategy

This part of the script assesses the effectiveness of Israel's military operations against Hezbollah, discussing the impact on Hezbollah's fighting force and the potential for further escalation. It highlights the challenges of fighting an unconventional force like Hezbollah, which is well-equipped and trained by Iran, and has a significant arsenal of missiles and rockets. The discussion also touches on the potential consequences of a full-scale war, the difficulties of conducting military operations against an integrated force like Hezbollah, and the political implications for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Keywords

💡Middle East

The Middle East refers to the region encompassing Western Asia and parts of North Africa. In the context of the video, it is the central focus as it discusses the tensions and conflicts between Israel and Lebanon. The region is historically complex, with a long-standing history of skirmishes and geopolitical interests, as highlighted by the discussion of Israeli aerial bombardment and the involvement of Hezbollah.

💡Israel

Israel is a country in the Middle East, and a central player in the discussed conflicts. The video mentions Israeli actions such as aerial bombardment aimed at Hezbollah, indicating its role in ongoing regional tensions. Israel's military operations are a key aspect of the narrative, illustrating the country's efforts to diminish the power of militias it perceives as threats.

💡Lebanon

Lebanon is a country in Western Asia, bordering Israel. The script discusses the border tensions between Lebanon and Israel, particularly focusing on the activities of Hezbollah, a Lebanese organization. Lebanon's role in the script is significant as it serves as the base for Hezbollah, which is a central point of conflict with Israel.

💡Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shiite militant group with political influence. The script describes Hezbollah as a formidable and effective militant organization backed by Iran. The group's origins are traced back to the 1980s, and it has been involved in numerous conflicts and terrorist attacks, as mentioned in the video. Hezbollah's actions and potential retaliations are central to the discussions of a possible escalation in the region.

💡Hamas

Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamist fundamentalist group, and as mentioned in the script, it is distinct from Hezbollah despite both being Islamist organizations. Hamas is based in Gaza and is involved in conflicts with Israel, particularly noted for its role in the West Bank and its ongoing war with Israel, which is a part of the broader Middle East tensions.

💡Iran

Iran is a country in the Middle East and is discussed in the script as a key supporter of Hezbollah. Iran's backing of Hezbollah includes providing funding, weapons, and influence, which shapes the dynamics of the conflict. The script also mentions Iran's strategic interests and its potential role in escalating or de-escalating the conflict.

💡Diplomatic efforts

Diplomatic efforts refer to the actions taken by nations and international organizations to resolve disputes peacefully. The script highlights ongoing diplomatic efforts to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East, involving players like the United States and the United Kingdom. These efforts are crucial in the context of the video as they represent attempts to prevent further escalation of violence.

💡Conflict escalation

Conflict escalation refers to an increase in the intensity or severity of a conflict. The video discusses the potential for the situation between Israel and Hezbollah to escalate, with concerns about the use of Hezbollah's missile arsenal. The script explores the possibility of a ground incursion and the challenges it would present, illustrating the delicate balance of the situation.

💡Civilian casualties

Civilian casualties are non-combatant deaths that occur during conflicts. The script raises concerns about the potential for a high civilian death toll in Lebanon if the conflict escalates. This is a significant issue as it could influence Hezbollah's response and the broader geopolitical implications of the conflict.

💡UN Security Council

The UN Security Council is a body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. The script mentions the UN Security Council in the context of discussions about the situation in the Middle East, indicating the global significance of the conflict and the role of international diplomacy in addressing it.

💡Buffer zone

A buffer zone is an area established to keep opposing forces apart and reduce conflict. The script discusses Israel's aim to create a buffer zone along its northern border with Lebanon to push Hezbollah fighters back. This concept is integral to understanding the military strategy and objectives discussed in the video.

Highlights

Tensions and skirmishes between Israel and Lebanon have persisted for many years.

Israel has conducted three days of aerial bombardment targeting the militia group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is backed by Iran and shares similarities with Hamas, another Islamist organization.

There is a fear of an all-out war in the region that could involve the United States or the United Kingdom.

Diplomatic efforts are underway to avoid conflict, with a focus on the United Nations' role.

Hezbollah originated from the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and has grown into a formidable militant organization.

Hezbollah's rise is linked to Israel's invasion and occupation of Lebanon, particularly from 1982 to 2000.

Hezbollah is both a military and political entity within Lebanon, committed to Iranian Islamic revolution principles.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, is a significant figure with military, oratory, and leadership skills.

The potential for a larger conflict hinges on Iran's strategic use of Hezbollah's missile arsenal.

Diplomatic efforts are being made indirectly through regional partners to pressure Hezbollah and Iran.

Israel's military actions are effective but face challenges due to Hezbollah's integration with the community.

Hezbollah possesses a large arsenal of missiles, which poses a significant threat to Israel.

The conflict's escalation could lead to a ground incursion by Israel, aiming to create a buffer zone.

A full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah would be bloody and difficult, with high civilian casualties.

Israel's military actions are linked to internal political issues, including pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The potential for an all-out war is real, but current assumptions suggest Iran may avoid using Hezbollah's full firepower.

Transcripts

I'm Neil Patterson Welcome To The Sky

News Daily today we are focusing very

much on the Middle East and very

specifically the border between Israel

and Lebanon now there have been

long-standing tensions and skirmishes

between the two for many many years

recently though we have seen three days

of Israeli aial bombardment aimed at

diminishing the militia group hisbah

meanwhile of course Israel's war on

Hamas continues Hamas like Hezbollah

backed by the Iranian State and the fear

is pretty obvious allout war in the

region and one which you could see

dragging in players like the United

States or even the United Kingdom

therefore as you would expect huge

diplomatic efforts are underway to avoid

this a little later however we will be

reflecting on what war might look like

if it takes place with our defense

editor Deborah Haynes she'll be speaking

to us from Tel

Aviv but let's start in New York at the

United Nations meeting obvious ly

discussing the situation in the Middle

East our International Affairs editor

Dominic WN joins us uh Dominic really

good to see you so much mention of

hisbah at the moment for for obvious

reasons just explain exactly who they

are because this is a a lebanon-based

organization but it has its origins in

the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran it

does you're right yeah I mean it's very

confusing as always with the Middle East

and you have the various different

organizations and it's often confused

with Hamas so Hamas is the pal inian

islamist organization based in Gaza but

also pretty active in the West Bank uh

the occupied Palestinian territories and

uh with whom Israel has been fighting

hisbah is different hisbah is Lebanese

and Shiite and to go back to its Origins

really you have to go back to 1982 in

1982 Israel and the PLO the Palestine

Liberation Organization that most people

will will remember was headed by yasa

Arafat they were exchanging far rather

similar to what's happening now over

Israel's northern border the PLO was

fighting with the Israelis and the

Israelis then invaded Lebanon all the

way up to Beirut and fought it out with

the PLO who then went into Exile and

fled to uh Tunisia but Israel did not

withdraw completely from Lebanon in fact

they stayed occupying Southern Lebanon

until the year 2000 and in that time

hisbah emerged and got stronger and

stronger so up to that point the members

of hisb were basically farmers in the

poor south of Lebanon and they were

transformed to this very what has become

a formidable uh and very effective uh

militant organization that is supported

by Iran and uh supplied weapons by Iran

and funded by Iran and uh in those years

uh they have effectively become an

organization that has carried out any

number of terrorist attacks against the

Americans in Beirut one Barracks bombing

that you'll remember killed more than

300 uh and they've been blamed for

attacks around the world as well so

Israel's critics say they're actually

sort of responsible for the fact that

hisbah was created because had they not

invaded Lebanon had they not occupied it

for so long hisbah would not have sprung

up and and set itself up as what it

claims to be which is a anti-israeli

occupation originally and then

anti-israeli now resistance organization

and what his b say to the Lebanese is

that they are there to protect Lebanon

and the Lebanese from Israel and they've

become a state within a state because

they are so powerful and so well funded

Ser serving as they do though as a proxy

of the Iranian state does does hisbah

have an ideology to speak of does it

have a stated set of Ambitions beyond

the advancement of Iranian strategic uh

priorities yeah it's a good question

hisb means party of of God and it is

both a military organization and a

terrorist organization it's been

condemned and prescribed as such by

America and Britain and other Western

Nations but it is also a political party

and it plays a political role uh in the

politics of Lebanon which is very very

fractured and uh very dysfunctional

though it is very much committed to the

Iranian Islamic revolution that uh

happened in 1979 and the Iranians are

committed to spreading their form of

islamism around the region they are

opposed to the existence of Israel and

hisbah is effectively a kind of

theological arm and sort of branch of

that Revolution so they I guess they've

got a kind of

ideologically they have a sort of dual

fun

in terms of how they present themselves

to the Lebanese but also how they act on

behalf of their Iranian patrons and to

an extent I mean and correct me if I'm

wrong here it does appear to me that

Hezbollah have have have quite an

obvious leadership as well in sad Hassan

nasala I mean how much do we know about

him yeah so he's someone who was

actually a military commander in the

South and he has seen a lot of his

commanders uh killed and assassinated uh

in recent days and weeks so he's now

he's having to replace the chief of

staff he's having to replace the head of

the Rockets Brigade because all these

commanders have been uh killed but he

does retain that military ability he's

also an extremely effective orator and

and leader and and preacher and since

2006 he's led a Subterranean existence

he was forced into hiding because

Israelis would like to kill him so he

lives in a bunker assumed to be

somewhere underneath theia that's the

hisb stronghold in Beirut some people

think he may have left Beirut for his

own safety and from that bunker over you

know over the years he has appeared on

huge video screens so I went to one

speech he gave in a big stadium in

southern Beirut where the faithful are

gathered in their thousands rather like

a rockar his sort of His Image appears

on a very big screen and he delivers a

lengthy speech which sort of begins

quite calmly and then he builds up into

a very fary artion that that gets his

the masses fired up and I think the big

question about nasala at the moment is

is he going to continue doing Iran's

bidding or or is he going to start using

this massive arsenal of Firepower that

the Iranians effectively paid for and

supplied for hisbah to hide in the hills

of Southern Lebanon but also in the Bear

Valley and the conventional wisdom is

that Iran wants that Arsenal to remain

as insurance policy for the day when

Israel attacks its nuclear facilities

and it does not want to squander that

even though it's been provoked to the

extreme by Israel at the moment and I

think the question now is if Israel

kills enough Lebanese civilians will

nasella feel he has to do his duty will

he have to follow through on the promise

to the Lebanese to protect them and

start using much many more of these

missiles because terrible though it is

at the moment this exchange of fire as

effectively a kind of Shadow War pring

something that could be a lot worse and

if those missiles are used against

Israel thousands of them then you could

see a much bigger Regional uh conflict

engulf in the Middle East well let's

talk then about a point tangential to

the place that you are that the United

Nations the Diplomatic efforts that will

be ongoing right now as we speak

midafternoon British time on on Thursday

afternoon look is this an organization

that we can engage with diplomatically

is this an organization that we have any

open form of communication with

countries like the United States the

United Kingdom institutions like the

United Nations well it's funny I was I

was putting that point to an American

Diplomat yesterday and he was saying

that they're engaged in a in an intense

efforts to bring about a diplomatic

solution to this conflict and I said but

you can't do that with hisbah directly

but he says we do have ways of bringing

pressure to Bear indirectly on both

hisbah and Iran and that's obviously

through Regional Partners since so Arab

countries uh but other countries that

have diplomatic Channels with Iran who

are his B's uh patrons so Britain of

course has an embassy in Iran with a

pretty checkered history of of being

surrounded and attacked from time to

time by the Iranians but it's we still

have diplomatic relations with Iran and

what's interesting is over the overnight

uh in the wake of really dire

apocalyptic mood in the UN Security

Council there was a sense of optimism

the Americans leading the way they and

G7 Partners in an Arab countries saying

that they felt a ceasefire was being put

together and then the Americans went as

far as saying that it would be

implemented they believed in the coming

hours what we've heard from Israel since

is that that has led to a lot of anger

amongst the Israelis at the highest

levels of government as well they

believe that they've got the advantage

they've got hisbah where they want them

and they want to press home that

advantage and they've said there will be

no ceasefire for now so look look whilst

those those those efforts are continuing

I mean surely all out war in the region

is in with within the gift of of one

state that state being the Islamic

Republic of Iran as of this moment Dom

in their in terms of their medium to

long-term Ambitions would allout

conflict in the region truly serve the

desires of those running around right

now now the answer to that is no but you

know when you look at the Middle East it

seems a very chaotic place and very

unpredictable but there are basic rules

and sort of fundamental assumptions that

we that we generally use to kind of

predict where events are going now one

of those assumptions is that Iran does

not want to allow this arsenal of

formidable awesome Firepower of 150 odd

thousand missiles to be used against

Israel except for the moment when Israel

attacks its nuclear alleged nuclear

weapons program and and ever since

October the 7th the that that assumption

has been proven to be true because there

have been a number of points where the

Iranians could have allowed that to

happen they could have allowed hisb to

get involved

in a much more hostile way in the fight

uh with Israel and that hasn't happened

but I think what could change is a

number of things one could be that that

civilian death toll becomes so high that

Israel kills so many civilians and it is

going after now that these sort of

longer range missiles which are buried

deep in the be Bear Valley away from the

south of Lebanon as well and all of that

could increase the risk of a much bigger

civilian death toll and at some points

the Iranians may feel and hisb may feel

that they have no alternative but to

fight back with a lot more Firepower I

think the other change in that equation

could be if Iran believes that the

insurance policy that is his baller is

fatally compromised if they think that

his ball is just going to be completely

destroyed and dismantled and we're not

anywhere near that yet but the Israelis

are certainly having a good go at it

then the Iranians might believe they've

got to get get involved to safeguard

their insurance policy so you know I

think these assumptions remain true

until events challenge them and change

them fundamentally and we're certainly

moving in that direction yet but I think

at the moment still Teran the Mullis and

Teran the AAS they want to hold on to

that Arsenal they don't want it

squandered and and I think confirmation

of that came from the Iranian president

masu peskin when he gave a more

consiliary tone he he wasn't urging hisb

to do its worse when he was speaking to

reporters here earlier in the week uh

and he talked about Israel laying traps

and clearly the Iranians at the moment

don't want to fall into a trap one of

those traps would clearly be being so

provoked that they Unleashed that uh

arsenal of Firepower uh Israel then

destroyed it and the Iranians have

nothing left to fight back if Israel

then at some point attacks Iran within

its own borders Dominic thanks very much

and of course that remains the hope that

allout conflict can be avoided next

however we'll speak to our defense

editor if war is coming what will it

look like back

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soon welcome back look there can be

precious few in the region who truly

want allout conflict but as we have seen

time and again in the Middle East the

momentum towards War can sometimes be

irresistible our defense and security

editor Deborah Haynes is joining us from

at Tel Aviv good to see you Deborah look

before we get into what may well come

next in fact to to what extent have the

Israelis already diminished hisbah as a

as a fighting force well this operation

which began just over a week ago has

been from an Israeli perspective

incredibly effective you'll remember

with those pager and walkie-talkie

explosions that were in the hands of a

lot of Hezbollah members and a Reuters

report in the last couple of days uh

claimed that

1,500 Fighters were actually maimed in

those explosions now that's not

confirmed but that is a significant

number however it's important to

remember that when you actually look at

the size of Hezbollah it's it's a huge

paramilitary force uh exact numbers

aren't known but uh a report to the US

Congress put the figure at about 40 to

50,000 Fighters uh other claims are that

it's even bigger than that but also with

this Israeli offensive after the pager

and walkie-talkie strikes they began the

the biggest air offensive against

Hezbollah since the 2006 war and that

has taken out a number of key commanders

yes they are being replaced B but when

it comes to commanding the uh the

military operation on the ground you

want to have experience so that seems to

be the the Israeli tactic to go after

the commanders too so so their

capabilities have have definitely been

degraded but we should make absolutely

clear hisbah is not some ragtag group of

mercenaries living out in the desert I

mean this is an effective Force yes it's

been armed and equipped by Iran and

trained as well uh and it is you know

more powerful than the Lebanese official

armed forces and in terms of its actual

weapons Arsenal yes the Israelis have

been striking against weapons stores

stockpiles launches but in terms of the

numbers of short medium and longer range

missiles and Rockets uh from the Israeli

side they believe it's you know it's

over a 100,000 maybe as many as 200,000

of these missiles so while the numbers

that they're saying that they've hit

you know sort of thousands of different

Munitions taken out there are many many

more stock piles kept in and place

across the country and that is why any

further escalation in this conflict if

Hezbollah for example were to unleash

much more of its weapons Arsenal uh then

it would be very very difficult

impossible uh actually for Israel to be

able to defend against all of them so it

it would pay a price and that's the

calculation does it believe that that is

a a price worth playing for escalating

this conflict even further well let's

let's just conduct a thought experiment

and one let's be honest which we really

hope does not come to fruition if this

conflict continues to escalate in the

manner in which we've been seeing what

would war between Israel and hisbah look

like we we've seen the air strikes we

assume a ground defensive would follow

and and frankly as we have already seen

in Gaza that can be Inc incredibly

bloody there's obviously lots of

different potential scenarios for how a

fullscale war would unfold and clearly

that's why you're seeing all these these

efforts at diplomacy to try to pull both

sides back from the brink but if if we

are sort of thinking hypothetically what

it could look like were the the obvious

next progression to happen which would

be some kind of land incursion then it

really depends upon the scale of that it

stated that its aim is to create this

buffer zone along its Border in the

north um to push Hezbollah Fighters back

beyond the Lani river which was meant to

be the line that had been agreed back in

2006 when there was a un Security

Council resolution following the last

war there the supposed to be effectively

a demilitarized area where there would

be no weapons no Fighters and then no

strikes by Hezbollah into Israeli

territory um if Israel believes that

that could be achieved just by having a

limited ground incursion where its

troops would only enter just slightly

across the border maybe in limited

numbers to Target those weapon sites and

to try to clear that area then you know

obviously that would that that raises uh

the risk of further escalation clearly

there will be fighting on the ground

you'd expect as Hezbollah tried to push

them back but it's not clear whether

either side would be able to achieve

their goals so then it raises the

possibility of a much more aggressive

ground incursion which would involve

much larger numbers of troops spreading

out across the country pushing towards

Beirut but that is what was attempted

back in 2006 and it did not end well um

there was not success as the Israelis

would see it and they were forced to

push back and so the actual action in

terms of the offensive on the ground

would be bloody and very difficult

because like you were saying Hezbollah

is a significant fighting force Israel

too of course it's the most P it has the

most powerful military in this region

but it's a military that's been at war

in Gaza for almost a year now and so its

troops will be tired and they will have

limited reserves despite despite their

forces being pretty tired after a

year-long campaign in Gaza debor you're

going to have to explain to me why when

Israel possesses overwhelming air

superiority overwhelming ground

superiority they've certainly got the

edge when it comes to intelligence this

is not a conflict that they could win in

days I mean it just underlines the

difficulty when you're dealing with an

unconventional Force this isn't a a

state on state operation just look at

what happened in Afghanistan when the

United States the most powerful military

in the world was not able to defeat the

Taliban during more than two decades of

conflict you know in in this case with

Hezbollah it's integrated very much with

the community with um with civilians it

makes it very very difficult to defeat

in military means alone and I think that

is a massive problem here you're already

seeing growing condemnation of the

civilian death toll inside Lebanon I'm

just wondering from your place in Tel

Aviv in Israel to what extent is

Israel's military action on his in the

north of the country directly linked to

the political problems that Benjamin

Netanyahu has at the top of this

government at the moment I mean he's uh

under huge criticism huge pressure about

the way that he has led the campaign

against Hamas in Gaza and the failure to

secure the release of all of the

hostages the impact of the October the

7th attack on Israel can't be

underestimated ated in terms of

undermining that impression amongst

Israeli civilians that they could rely

on their military and their intelligence

services to protect them that has

underpinned everything that's happened

since there was restraint on the Israeli

side because they knew just how

potentially impossible it would be to

successfully conduct two operations on

two fronts at a large scale but over

time there's clearly been in the back of

the mind of the Israeli military and

politicians this need to restore

deterrence to restore their reputation

as a power that can't be messed with in

a region where let's face it they're

surrounded by neighbors who want them to

be

obliterated and for the very latest on

what's happening right now in the Middle

East just head to skynews.com that's

your lot for this edition of The Daily

however we're back again tomorrow

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