The Israeli rhetoric about the war on Lebanon is simple. Israel has been fighting with Hezbollah since 1982 – first for 18 years inside Lebanon, and then for two decades from Israeli territory. The ongoing operation has been coming for 20 years.Despite past successes, Hezbollah continues to be a threat to northern communities in Israel. The Israeli army is not only clearing Lebanon’s south of its infrastructure, but also putting pressure – militarily – on the Lebanese state to disarm it.I have outlined these Israeli rationales because the Middle East has gotten used to hearing them being rolled out in procession every time Israel decides to “go aggressive”.The reality is that Lebanon is a perfect target for Israeli sentiments. It has a weak military, and the Lebanese state apparatus is in constant flux due to power arrangements between Christians and Sunni and Shia Muslims. Lebanon also has Israel’s most consistent military foe right on its border with Israel.Still, these are mostly a “strategic” cover for the most potent rationale that drives the present campaign against Lebanon. That rationale revolves mostly around domestic Israeli political considerations and the urgent need to score a win amid dramatic failures.So far, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has fa …
