Why the U.S. must support Israel’s massive retaliation against Hezbollah attacks

Dear Friend of Israel, Friend of FLAME:

As Israel fights to destroy Hamas in the south, a far greater nightmare for the Jewish state looms on its northern border. Hezbollah, a heavily-armed Iranian proxy terror group has been raining rockets and other munitions into Israel on a near daily basis since October 7^th. Hezbollah has made a huge section of Israel’s north unliveable—forcing more than 80,000 citizens from their homes—and effectively shrinking the size of the Jewish state.

These terrorists, claiming a force of 100,000 fighters, have already killed more than two dozen Israeli civilians and soldiers, damaged hundreds of homes, and burned thousands of acres of land.

Hezbollah, like Hamas and other Iran proxies, is committed to the destruction of Israel. Hamas actually based its October 7^th attack of Israel on plans Hezbollah drew up to invade the Jewish state from the north. Hezbollah, however, possesses military capabilities superior by an order of magnitude to Hamas. In fact, Hezbollah is arguably the best armed non-state group in the world. According to an assessment by the Israel Defense Force (IDF), it has the potential, if unchecked, to overrun northern Israel, which could result in atrocities far worse than those of October 7^th.

To prevent such a catastrophe and ensure that Israeli refugees from the north can finally return to their homes, Israel will be soon forced to launch a major offensive against the terrorist group, similar to its operation against Hamas in Gaza. As with Gaza, it behooves the U.S. to support Israel’s defensive actions robustly—in order to deter Iran from further aggression and restore America’s credibility as a reliable Middle East ally and global leader.

Hezbollah is a far more dangerous enemy than Hamas. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has repeatedly vowed to destroy the Jewish state. In 2005, for example, he said of Israel, “It is an aggressive, illegal, and illegitimate entity, which has no future on our land. Its destination is manifested in our motto, ‘Death to Israel’.” According to the Wilson Center, Hezbollah has also threatened to destroy U.S. “hegemony” in the Middle East. These threats, of course, are similar to those made by Hamas, Iran and other of its proxies.

Unlike Hamas, however, Hezbollah’s arsenal is larger and deadlier. While Hezbollah’s claim of 100,000 fighters may be an exaggeration, think-tank estimates put it at 60,000, still formidable, and far larger than Hamas’s approximately 40,000 terrorists pre-October 7.

In terms of armaments, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad were thought to have 15,000 to 20,000 rockets before the current war, Hezbollah is estimated to have between 100,000 and 200,000 rockets and missiles, including projectiles that can reach anywhere in Israel and those that can be precisely targeted—at Israeli military bases, power plants, airports and hospitals.

While Israel’s anti-missile defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, can shoot down most of these, inevitably some would get through to their targets. In fact, the IDF estimates that even with its anti-missile defenses, Israel may sustain 1,500 “effective” attacks per day—meaning attacks that strike its populated areas and vital infrastructure targets.

Hezbollah also boasts an elite force of commandos, the Radwan Force, composed of 2,500 or more fighters. This unit was specifically designed to launch a full-scale invasion of Israel.

Hezbollah presents an immediate existential threat to the Jewish state. One month before the October 7^th massacre, during an internal seminar at the IDF’s Northern Command, the commander of the 300^th Brigade warned that Hezbollah could overrun many villages and army bases in the north.

To invade Israel, Hezbollah would likely use its vast tunnel system, which IDF Brigadier General (reserve) Ronen Manelis described as “ten levels above anything we have come across in Gaza.” In fact, Eric Mandel, senior security editor for the Jerusalem Report, who has visited some of Hezbollah’s tunnels, wrote last December that the group likely has undetected tunnels that would allow hundreds of terrorists to enter Israel within minutes in a surprise attack, at multiple locations, which would cause terror on a much greater scale than what took place on October 7.

Full U.S. support for Israel’s fight against Hezbollah weakens Iran—a mortal enemy of America and Israel. Israel is America’s—and the world’s—only ally that stands up to Iran and its proxies directly. The U.S. should fully support Israel if it launches a major assault against Hezbollah, as it most surely will. Unfortunately, however, Team Biden seems to be pressuring Israel not to harm Iran and its proxies, in the same way they have discouraged it from destroying Hamas in Gaza.

In fact, if not for the Biden Administration, Israel may have already launched a full-scale assault on Hezbollah. There are reports that immediately after the October 7^th massacre, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not support a major assault against Hezbollah. As a result, the IDF shelved its plans to attack the terrorist group.

By defeating Hezbollah, Israel helps the U.S. check Iran’s drive to nuclear weapons. Iran clearly sees Hezbollah as its main deterrent to prevent Israel from attacking the Islamic Republic and its nuclear program. Thus, defeating Hezbollah would bolster efforts of the U.S. and Western nations to halt Iran’s growth as a nuclear power. Furthermore, U.S. support of Israel against Hezbollah would enhance America’s standing as a reliable ally.

Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that Iran, through its puppet Hezbollah, is forcing Israel into another war it doesn’t want or choose. Unfortunately, Israel’s war against Iran is also America’s war, since Israel is the only ally that militarily protects U.S. Middle East interests.

This means President Biden’s often equivocal support of Israel—despite claims it is “ironclad”—will soon be tested again. It will serve the U.S. to give Israel 100% support when the Jewish state is forced to launch a more rigorous defense against Hezbollah. Remember: Actions that weaken Hezbollah also weaken Iran—which makes the U.S.—and the world—stronger.

If you agree we need to spread this truth, please use your email browser to forward this Hotline issue to fellow lovers of Israel—and encourage them to join us by subscribing to the Hotline at no charge.

Best regards,

Jason Shvili, Contributing Editor

Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.      The riots, vandalism and illegal trespassing on American college campuses have

sharpened the knives of the Israel haters. It’s become clear that the “pro-Palestinian” protesters are purely anti-Israel and support the genocide of Jews “between the river and the sea.” Scandalously, we’ve also seen hard evidence that university administrators are willing to ignore or openly support the antisemitic hate speech and harassment of Jewish students—though they would never permit such behavior against other minorities. I hope you’ll agree that we supporters of Jewish students and hate-free campuses need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“Stop Terrorism on Campus”—calls for four actions to eliminate campus outlaws and to restore rights to all students. Please review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME has scheduled for publication in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Bay Times and Los Angeles Times on July 7. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, Vice President Harris and President Biden. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us with a donation.

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