Israel’s right to defend itself

The Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has recently spoken on TV:

Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since twin pager-and-radio attacks killed dozens across Lebanon, said Israel had crossed all ‘red lines’.
The attacks could be seen as “a declaration of war,” he added.

Hezbollah attack Israel – and then cry victim when Israel hits back in response.

They have been attacking Israel for years. The firing of the over 7,000 rockets into northern Israel since the Hamas massacre of Oct-7 was the latest phase which began on Oct 8 – well before Israel responded militarily in Gaza. 

And yet, somehow, the Jewish state’s right to defend itself is being gainsayed as amounting to a “declaration of war”.

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I think we have normalised the firing of rockets into Israel because of its amazing (but not imperfect) air defense system. Yet 2 points should be made:

1. Hezbollah have been firing rockets killing civilians indiscriminately. Israel detonated explosives via an ingenious method targeting Hezbollah fighters and personnel discriminately. Military communication devices are a valid military objective. The pagers were distributed by Hezbollah to Hezbollah operatives (and, therefore, non-civilians). Hezbollah is an active participant in the international conflict, and so discrimination can be proven overwhelmingly. The harm to the civilian population cannot and did not outweigh the military advantage conferred.
2. Hezbollah isn’t some silly nuisance. They do serious harm to Israel. Imagine living in the country, and wondering if today is the day there is a malfunction and a rocket slips through, killing you or your loved ones. It makes day-to-day life intolerable. Hezbollah is a serious material threat to the territorial integrity of Israel and the security of its citizens. Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens and others (like the Golani Druze) live and thrive under its protection. 

To question Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah – let alone characterise it as terror (as Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter did) – discloses either a deep-rooted nasty antisemitism or a brain-addled stupidity so profound as to be literally unfathomable.

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Israel must maintain military action against Hezbollah – despite the significant risks.

Citizens must be able to return safely to their homes and businesses in Israel’s northern communities.

Hezbollah second-in-command, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut.