“Israel” Laments Its Weakness: We’re Witnessing Hezbollah, But Not Acting

By Mordechai Kahana | Makor Rishon

Hezbollah’s tents are springing up along “Israel's” border amid deceptive silence. This should be setting off all of “Israel's” alarm bells. It’s part of a dangerous blow to the “Israeli” deterrence.

Hezbollah is taking advantage of the historically weaknesses along the ‘northern borderline.’

Hezbollah has deliberately crossed the borderline and went dozens of meters deep into “Israeli” territory as part of the tent saga. It moved the tents in a deliberate and calculated manner several times - a meter here and a meter there in accordance with its estimates of how far the rope can be pulled without a reaction from “Israel”. So far, the maneuver is working in the group’s favor.

These are not sporadic incidents. Throughout the past year, Hezbollah has become increasingly brazen in its provocative actions along the border fence, such as setting up military observation posts under the guise of preserving nature, tearing “Israeli” flags and damaging observation posts, and vandalizing the fence. All this was done with almost no response from “Israel.”

The provocateurs are neither environmental activists nor innocent herdsmen. They are part of the Radwan Force, the 'commando force' established by Hezbollah on the border with “Israel” whose purpose is to attack and occupy “Israeli” settlements adjacent to the fence in a surprise attack.

Although the identity of Hezbollah forces is clear and known, and they are positioned just a few meters from the borderline, “Israel” refrains from acting. Today, Hezbollah has received the message and is escalating toward the next provocation.

The threat facing “Israel” isn’t a mere provocation but Hezbollah's readiness for an immediate surprise attack.

Fifty years after the “Yom Kippur” War, “Israel” is once again turning a blind eye. Today we see what we saw back then at the “Bar-Lev” line - the concentration of the “Israeli” army’s observations, the advance to the canal line, the preliminary preparations, and the removal of the camouflage nets. Everything was visible.

Now, when Golda's diaries and the events of those days are revealed in the new documentary series, it turned possible to understand the seriousness of the issue, and how we saw everything but understood nothing.

Even today, “Israel” justifies its inaction with a variety of different excuses. It argues that Hezbollah is deterred, that their full capabilities haven’t been mobilized, and that they will not attack until conditions are met.

“Israel” sees the arming, the preparations to breach the border fence, and that the security elements it built along the border are eroding, and it is not acting.

The new policy of containment transmits weakness, a very negative and dangerous message in the complicated Middle East. It is the one that increased the mouse into a mountain – the Shebaa Farms incident that could have ended as a micro-tactical incident with a clear message, ended up being planted in the minds of the decision-makers in “Israel” and Hezbollah as a possibility and a threat of war, which could break out at any moment.

“Israel” must understand that there is no place for the weak in the Middle East and that self-restraint is not strength. Weakness is simply weakness and is very dangerous.

A situation in which Hezbollah can start a war at any moment is an unacceptable situation. This is a 'zero-sum game' that may take a heavy toll on “Israel.”

“Israel” should act strongly against Hezbollah on the borderline and beyond. It should also remove the Radwan Force members, and demand the implementation of the agreements [UN Resolution 1701 - August 2006] for which the UN is in South Lebanon. Only removing the threat or destroying it will bring real peace and security to the ‘residents’ of the north.