Drumbeats of a Greater Israel War
David Haggith

A Friday statement from Iran's ambassador warned the UN that any “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon against Hezbollah will mean that “an obliterating war will ensue….”

“All options, including the full involvement of all resistance fronts, are on the table…."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged this week that a "seven front war" could open up, in reference to all of Iran's proxies across the region. 

So said an article posted below from Zero Hedge over the past weekend. This could, of course, have been nothing more than Hezbollah’s typical saber rattling, rather than a true warning. However, Charles Nenner, a former Goldman Sachs technical analyst who now runs Charles Nenner Research Center, lives on Israel’s northern border, and says he believes all hell is about to break loose. He is certain we are about to see “full-scale military aggression” by Israel, though he might not use Iran’s terms in calling it “aggression.” He believes that, if Israel decides it has to do what it is now preparing to do, it is finally going all the way to end its northern problem:

If this really goes, Lebanon is going to disappear from the map. . . . How do I know these things? I know these things because I work with several governments in the world. . . . In the 1960’s, there was a war, and half of Cyprus ended up Turkish and half of Cyprus is Greek. Turkey never accepted that. . . . Israel is using airfields in Cyprus. . . . If this really gets going, Turkey is going to take over Cyprus because they support Hamas (and Hezbollah). Turkey will invade Cyprus, and this will lead to a war between Greece and Turkey.  Of course, Iran is going to be involved also. Big boats are heading to Israel, so America is going to be involved….

I don’t think Americans have any clue what is going on there, and they have no background. They are only busy with trying to win the election, and it’s going to lead to catastrophe. If there is a war, Turkey is going to be involved, Cyprus is going to be involved, NATO is going to be involved, and it is going to be much more serious than people think.

This is just one man’s opinion, of course. Though he does have close familiarity with the situation, that doesn’t mean he knows better than other people how other nations will respond to Israel if it makes the full-frontal assault it has warned several times now it is preparing for. However, Nenner has some strong agreement from The Economist,which also said today that the next terrifying war is Israel v Hezbollah.

Several countries including America are telling their citizens to leave Lebanon. Israel’s leaders talk of war as though it is inevitable. It would be the most intense conflict in the region in decades—a calamity for Israel and a disaster for Lebanon….

American and European diplomats continue to shuttle between Israel and Lebanon, hoping, with less and less optimism, to persuade Hizbullah to withdraw 7-10km away from the border.

Since diplomatic talks are not looking promising, the US also moved an amphibious assault ship into the area. The US says the ship is for “deterrence.” 

Hezbollah’s second in command said today that it will stop its warring along the Lebanon border if Israel gets completely out of Gaza, but there is little likelihood of Israel doing that soon, as talks of a cease-fire in Gaza have faltered in recent weeks:

“If the war stops, this military support will no longer exist….”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to make such a commitment until Israel realizes its goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and brings home the roughly 120 hostages still held by Hamas….

Hezbollah, meanwhile, is far more powerful than Hamas and believed to have a vast arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.

Several other articles today give similar warnings:

In recent weeks, cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified, with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia firing rockets and drones from southern Lebanon deeper into northern Israel and the Israeli air force striking deeper into southern Lebanon. Both sides have also ratcheted up their rhetoric and threats, raising fears that all-out war could be imminent.

After more than eight months of low-scale conflict, Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are threatening all-out war….

Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant paramilitary force with a robust internal structure as well as a sizeable arsenal. Israel sees it as its most direct threat, and estimates that it has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

The drums of war echo once again in the Levant, as Israel reportedly readies itself for a daring incursion into Lebanon, According to Germany's Bild newspaper, Israeli forces are set to launch a ground operation against Hezbollah in the waning days of July, a move that could reshape the region's fragile balance of power.

Unnamed diplomatic sources, speaking in hushed tones of an "extreme scenario," paint a picture of a nation steeling itself against Hezbollah's threats of "war without limits." One source, their words heavy with the weight of impending conflict, declared, "Israel's push into Lebanon looms closer than ever before. A date is set."

and …

Iran vowed on Tuesday to back the terrorist organization Hezbollah "by all means" against Israel if Jerusalem launches an offensive in neighboring Lebanon.

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(Articles for today’s quotes are in boldface among the headlines that follow:)

 

 

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