The rumor that war with Hezbollah is imminent
As the War Cabinet convened two nights ago and is said to continue to meet this morning and tonight, word, over the past few days, has been that a full-scale war with Hezbollah could happen at any time. While such an escalation holds speculation of worrisome possibilities, given Hezbollah’s vast arsenal of advanced weaponry, there seems to be no way to avoid the inevitable.
At the same time that war has been waged against the brutal Hamas regime, responsible for the October 7 massacre, rockets and hostile aircraft, in the form of suicide drones, continue to bombard Israel’s northern cities, multiple times per day, to the point that many of these locations have been completely evacuated since it’s impossible to live under such conditions.
The irony is that world sympathies have mostly been directed towards displaced Gazans, who are now homeless (thanks to their Hamas leadership), but few express the same regret over the same fate which has befallen more than 60,000 Israelis, almost a third of whom are children.
Their lives have been completely upended, interrupting their schooling and closing down their places of business. The trauma, which is being suffered by these families, is no less heartbreaking, except for one big difference. The State has stepped in to, in many cases, provide housing and other services, something which Hamas would never think to supply, given that their people have always been nothing more than dispensable props used by them to further their evil goals.
But, as things stand, Israel cannot continue to simply “respond” to the constant barrage of rocket fire, which is being launched by Hezbollah, almost as a dare for us to be drawn into this full-scale war that is on the horizon. Just yesterday, a double Hezbollah drone attack ended up wounding eleven people in the north as a “direct hit near the Druze town of Hurfeish in the Upper Galilee occurred.”
This particular strike, seen as an escalation, was described as “more troubling than rockets,” and is said to be a test as it relates to Israel’s capabilities in what is clearly a lead-up to the full-scale war that is about to happen. Leaving us no choice but to engage with the terror group, in order to defend our northern residents, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Whoever thinks that he will hurt us and that we will then sit idly by is making a big mistake. We are prepared for very intense action in the North. One way or another, we will restore security to the North.”
Undoubtedly, Israel had hoped to complete the war on the southern front before dealing with our northern neighbor, because defending two borders, simultaneously, requires a serious amalgamation of manpower, and that is even more evidenced by the government’s approval to increase the number of IDF reservists to 350,000. At the moment, 50,000 reservists have received recruitment orders, according to Israeli media, and this only adds to the belief that war in the north is, indeed, imminent.
One reason for the delay of a full-scale Israeli operation was probably due to the hope that a hostage deal, put forth by Israel and backed by the U.S., would materialize, but, according to one report from a Saudi media outlet, Hamas has rejected the proposal, since it did not guarantee a permanent ceasefire, causing them to fear that the fight would resume once the hostages were returned.
Nonetheless, as of this morning, the Jerusalem Post is still reporting that the White House insists that a “hostage deal is still on the table despite Hamas’s objections,” and is “awaiting Hamas’s response through official channels.”
But, if the Saudi report is true, and no deal is forthcoming, there really is no justification to further delay what needs to be done, and that is to eliminate the threat of Hezbollah rockets which are making it impossible for northern communities to return to their homes.
Some believe that a full-scale war could culminate in multiple Israeli cities almost being decimated as Hezbollah goes for broke and launches a non-stop attack, utilizing their huge stockpile of endless precision, long-range rockets, in order to cripple major hubs which are densely populated. Needless to say, the damage could be staggering in such a scenario.
However, while this intense drama is unfolding, tens of thousands came to Jerusalem’s Western Wall yesterday to celebrate Jerusalem Day, by dancing and singing while reciting Psalm 28:9: “Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” The scene was wall-to-wall people, exuberant and hopeful of their future, even as the threat of another devastating war is on the horizon.
OMG - There's thousands of them jumping up and down next to Al-Aqsa mosque at the western wall.
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) June 5, 2024
They're all performing Talmudic rituals.
“Jerusalem unification day” aka the day they Occupied Jerusalem and became illegal settlers. pic.twitter.com/Fe2gq9kJaY
At a time when things look very precarious, Israelis don’t seem to have a pessimistic outlook as to what lies before them, because they know that the status-quo situation cannot go on indefinitely. We have no choice but to take control of these attacks and deter them once and for all, so that life can go back to some semblance of normal, despite the clear fact that Israel is an object lesson on how to manage a daily routine existence under the constant threat of annihilation.
It is this same spirit that existed in the Czechoslovakian concentration camp of Theresienstadt, where Jewish prisoners, in the worst of circumstances, attempted to retain some semblance of normal life, conducting educational classes for children and even a theatre for evening entertainment. The indomitable spirit of the Jewish people is one that can only be explained in light of their innate awareness that God is with them, protecting and preserving them through the worst of times.
And so, while we are facing what could be the most challenging events yet, since October 7th, when all of this calamity began, we are still confident, retaining our hope and optimism, while staring into the face of a dangerous enemy whose total resolve is to finish off the Jewish state. Yet, judging by how it’s supposed to end, we have good reason to trust in the words which were written thousands of years ago in the Jewish scriptures, promising that we would never fight alone but would be accompanied by the Almighty who has vowed to watch over us.
So why should we suddenly doubt that now - even as we find ourselves on the brink of imminent war?
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal and the granddaughter of European Jews who arrived in the US before the Holocaust. Making Aliyah in 1993, she became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband.
