As Gaza War Winds On, Doubts About Israel’s Clear-Cut Victory

Hezbollah’s leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, is clear in his mind that Israel cannot win the war in Gaza. In his view, the Israelis have suffered more casualties than they have admitted to and Hamas continues to fight on inflicting more and more casualties.

At some point, he says this will unsustainable for the Israelis who will have to come up with fresh troops to give relief to those currently deployed. He says the US can end this war if it wants. All President Biden has to do is stop the flow of arms and ammunition and of course money to Israel.

But this is not happening. He could even go to the UN Security Council and get a consensus on stopping the war. With the international community behind him there’s no way this war could continue. Instead, Nasrallah says, Biden is indulging in double game, sending food and humanitarian aid to Gaza while continuing to supply Israel with the means to continue waging war.

US intelligence assessments also suggest that Hamas is not likely to give up the fight. It has shown a resilience and adaptability which Israel may not have factored in and no matter how sophisticated the latter’s forces, training and equipment, this is a long struggle.

There is concern that the war could spread to other areas. In Lebanon, Israel has responded to the rising intensity of Hezbollah attacks on its settlements near the border with air strikes on the latter’s camps and supply depots. Many casualties have been reported including that of civilians since many Hezbollah targets are in densely populated civil areas.

Israel has already evacuated its civilians living near the border, reinforcing the impression that it maybe prepared to open a new war front in Lebanon. There are reports to indicate Israeli leaders have said this on record. Does that happen now, before a ceasefire in Gaza is in place? It’s hard to say but Israel may find it difficult to sustain a two-front war.