(JNS) Israel’s critics, and even many of its friends, consistently fail to grasp the brutal reality of Israel’s security dilemmas: They rarely present good options, only variations of bad ones. Lebanon exemplifies this predicament.
Israel cannot tolerate a heavily armed Hezbollah threatening its northern population, yet every available strategy—containment, escalation or occupation—carries serious costs. The current path, a potential reoccupation of Southern Lebanon, risks dragging Israel back into a protracted quagmire reminiscent of the Second Lebanon War that many Israelis still view as their Vietnam.
For years, Netanyahu-led governments watched as Iran armed Hezbollah with an estimated 150,000 missiles. Occasionally, Israel interdicted weapons shipments or destroyed caches and manufacturing sites. Despite these efforts, the Sword of Damocles still hung over Israel as Netanyahu pursued deterrence and containment.
That strategy appeared to work—until it didn’t. Hezbollah was not deterred; it was preparing. We now know it had planned a Hamas-style invasion...
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