This article originally appeared in the National Post.
By Joe Adam George, September 30, 2024
A phenomenal 10-day military operation by Israel against the terrorist group Hezbollah came to a climax last week with the targeted assassination of its leader and secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah.
Starting with the alleged mass detonation of booby-trapped wireless communication devices used by Hezbollah terrorists, Israeli forces took advantage of the ensuing chaos to launch an airstrike that killed the terrorist group’s top commanders who had gathered in Beirut for a meeting. Such was the audaciousness, precision, and ingenuity of Israel’s relentless attacks that they appear to have rattled Hezbollah’s patron-in-chief, Ali Khamenei, in Iran.
Arguably the world’s most feared terrorist, Nasrallah is the highest-profile target to be killed since the former Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was eliminated by U.S. forces in Syria in 2019.
The psychological and operational destruction inflicted on Hezbollah — which means “Party of God” in Arabic — in such a short period, has destroyed the group’s projected image of invincibility. This is a major victory for Israel, which saw its aura of strength greatly undermined by the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
The intelligence failures that led to that fateful day, coupled with the West’s propensity to appease Iran, thrust Israel into a fight for its survival. It was, therefore, no surprise that Israel decided to take the fight to Hezbollah, the crown jewel in Iran’s “axis of resistance.”
To be clear, Israel didn’t attack Hezbollah without cause. For nearly a year, the terrorist group had been mounting unprovoked, almost daily attacks on Israel in support of Hamas, stretching the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while also forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Israel finally decided to strike hard and smart when it got wind of Hezbollah planning its version of an October 7 attack.
Israel’s “de-escalation through escalation” strategy, although fraught with risks, has the potential to be a game-changer in the Middle East conflict.
Albeit still in its early days, the strategy has borne remarkable military and diplomatic success. The Israelis have significantly weakened the fighting capabilities of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor after decapitating its top leadership and destroying substantial levels of its munitions stockpiles.
That’s not all. With Nasrallah having the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands, Israel’s efforts have garnered praise from its biggest ally, the United States.
His death also appears to be cause for celebration among many Syrians and Lebanese who will finally feel a sense of justice after having suffered immensely from Hezbollah’s brutal occupation during the Syrian civil war and decades-long tyrannical rule in Lebanon.
Canadian Arabs, Iranians, and Jews also have a reason to rejoice considering Hezbollah, a listed terrorist entity in Canada, had turned the country into a major transnational narco-terrorism hub to fund its violent extremist activities in the Middle East.
Undeniably, dismantling Hezbollah is not just an Israeli priority, but also in the long-term interests of the Middle East and the West.
Yet, many western countries like Canada and France fail to support Israel’s extraordinary efforts against Hezbollah. Hours after Nasrallah’s death had been confirmed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opted to scaremonger over abortion. After receiving significant criticism, he broke his silence by delivering a watered-down statement to avoid offending the pro-terror crowd. However, what Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly did was even more bizarre. She not only opted to tweet about her meeting with the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly but also reassured him of Canada’s support for UNRWA, despite a recent UN investigation finding that nine of its employees were allegedly involved in the October 7 massacre.
For years, when dealing with Iran or Islamist terror groups, western governments have based their policies on diplomacy and vote-bank politics, which has only resulted in setting the Middle East ablaze. However, Israel — faced with existential threats from both — rightly recognizes that appeasement begets escalation.
As Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, “The price for Hezbollah has to be high.” Sustained military pressure — without costly and risky ground incursions — will continue to weaken and keep Hezbollah, and potentially Iran, under check.
Hezbollah is down — but not out. It is part of the social fabric in Lebanon and its vicious Islamist ideology cannot be killed with bombs and bullets. With help and direction from Iran, the terrorist group will rebuild to fight another day. Israel and the West must prepare for this scenario by crafting strategies of maximum pressure that will expedite the defeat of their ideological foes and secure lasting peace in the Middle East.
Joe Adam George is a national security analyst on Middle East and South Asia affairs and a contributing writer with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
