Posted on 01/07/2024 6:47:51 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
White House officials are concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could initiate a full-blown war against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon in order to save his own political career, according to a Sunday report.
“If the Gaza war ends tomorrow, Netanyahu’s political career will end with it, incentivizing him to broaden the conflict,” anonymous US officials told The Washington Post.
Netanyahu has dipped sharply in opinion polls since the war with Hamas began, with the public evidently attributing to him a significant portion of the blame for the failures that enabled the terror group’s October 7 massacres.
“The prime minister will continue to take the necessary steps to secure Israel and its future,” a senior Israeli government official responded to the US outlet when asked if Netanyahu’s political calculations are driving his military decisions.
Multiple senior Israeli leaders have repeatedly said Hezbollah must be driven away from the Israel-Lebanon border, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 from 2006, vowing that if this isn’t achieved via diplomacy it will be done militarily.
The powerful Iran-backed Shiite militia has been waging a limited but escalating conflict with the IDF over the Israel-Lebanon border since October 7. It fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli Air Force base on Mount Meron in northern Israel on Saturday in what it said was “an initial response” to the alleged Israeli killing of Hamas terror chief Saleh al-Arouri in an airstrike in Lebanon last week.
The Post cited over a dozen unnamed Biden administration officials and diplomats in its report.
The outlet reported that the Defense Intelligence Agency assesses that the IDF would struggle to fight Hezbollah while it battles Hamas in Gaza, as its forces would be spread too thin.
Preventing a major escalation in the north is a top priority for the Biden administration, which believes the conflict would spread to Iran and ultimately bring the US in as well.
It deployed special envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon and Israel last week, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in Israel this week in order to push a diplomatic arrangement to head off a war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Before flying to Jordan on Sunday, Blinken said there is “real concern” around the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We want to do everything possible to make sure that we don’t see escalation there,” said the top US diplomat.
On Sunday, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz appeared to defend Netanyahu in the wake of the Washington Post report.
In a statement released on X in Hebrew and English, Gantz said, “The only consideration here is Israel’s security, and nothing else. That is our duty to our country and our citizens.”
He stressed that “the reality where the citizens of Northern Israel cannot return to their homes – requires an urgent solution. The world must remember that it was the terrorist organisation Hezbollah that initiated the escalation. Israel is interested in a diplomatic solution, but if one cannot be found – Israel and the IDF will remove the threat. All of the War Cabinet’s members share this view.”
Tensions are rising between Netanyahu and Gantz, who is the leading candidate to replace the prime minister in a potential election.
The two publicly sparred during a security cabinet meeting that had been meant to focus on a vision for postwar Gaza, over the conduct of ministers who slammed IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for the military probe he announced into October 7 failures.
On Sunday, three ministers from Gantz’s National Unity party skipped the weekly cabinet meeting headed by Netanyahu.
“No, US is not worried, democrats are. They are worried that Hez might be wiped out.”
The Democrats are merely trying to appease the ‘wolves’ they have imported. Leading Democrats feel the need to gain and retain power by just any means at hand.
Leading Democrats are generally sadly deficient in morality and decency.
Of course, that is what Biden is doing, so he thinks everyone else is a sh*thead like him.
“anonymous US officials.”
“How do we know this regime didn’t know about or help Hamas with their attack”
Someone at “American Thinker” wrote that the US government doesn’t want Israeli to preemptively protect itself.
Gantz understands the situation well and the US government should let him do his job without interference.
Is the risk of a regional war really in Israel’s interest or mostly in Netanyahu’s interest? Hezbollah isn’t exactly a pushover and the IDF struggled last time they fought in Lebanon. And Hezbollah has more sophisticated drones and missiles this time around. Then there is the real risk of bordering countries like Egypt and Jordan becoming destabilized. Be careful what you wish for, this whole thing could easily get out of hand.
So what? None of our business.
That’s just the problem, Netanyahu can try and make it our business whether we like it or not. It could ultimately have a negative affect our regional alliances with the surrounding Arab Islamic countries in a very negative way. Exactly whose interests take priority here, ours or Israel’s? These interests are not always the same.
War IS politics
Gee, what's the "US"' FR nick?
US my ass. Biden/Obama/Kerry hate Netanyahu, and hate Israel. Always have.
The Golda Meier government knew the ‘73 war was coming but didn’t preemptively strike or even go on high military alert because of US pressure. It was not actually near the negligence that the seditious Israeli military and intelligence commanders are responsible for today.
The Times of Israel is worse than the LA Times. Their journalists must have been educated in the US.
What failures?
Hamas attacked with 2,000 Suicide Soldiers, most of them dressed as day laborers, and most of them amphetamine fueled teenagers.
All of the Hamas military officers remained in Gaza.
The deepest penetration into Israel was less than four miles, to a music festival, that had private security, but ran out of ammunition.
Almost all the hostages were transported to Gaza within four hours.
Approximately 1,500 of the Suicide Soldiers were killed in the first 24 hours.
Most of the 500 survivors returned to Gaza with hostages.
Democrats worried Netanyahu could wage war on Hezbollah and win.
Dems seem to have no tricks in the bag but accusing others of what they are doing themselves. They can’t possibly fail to realize how obvious this is. They must keep doing it to laugh in our faces, knowing the general public is too dull to notice.
I’m down for eliminating Hezblabla but Bebe has to be careful of a 2-front war and realize that doing this, pulls the pin on Beirut, Damascus, the whole Levant. POP THE POPCORN!
BINGO!
NETANYAHU and ISRAEL are fighting for their LIVES
Yup. More political interference in Israel by the Democrat (aka Communist) Party.
You have to ask yourself, what is the motivation of Hamas attacking Israel? Seems like Hamas wants political gain as well.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
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