Netanyahu Reverts to Kochavi-Era Combat Tactics… Political Divisions and Military Resignations Loom / Hebrew Media Cite Hochstein: War Poses Grave Risks Without Returning Prisoners or the Displaced

September 17, 2024

Albinaa’ Newspaper Headlines

The political editor wrote

Despite the Israeli threats of escalation on the Lebanese front dominating the media and diplomatic scene, Yemen’s missile strike on Tel Aviv remained the top issue in Arab public opinion. A single modern Yemeni hypersonic missile, locally designed and produced, successfully bypassed all U.S., Western, and Israeli air defences. More than twenty air defence missiles failed to intercept it, as radars couldn’t detect or issue early warnings of its entry into occupied Palestinian airspace. The missile exploded mid-air, spreading panic across an area tens of kilometres wide. Witnesses in Hebron, in the southern West Bank, reported hearing the explosion as if it were nearby. Shrapnel scattered across a ten-kilometre radius, sparking fires at a train station and in forests near Ben Gurion Airport. The operation showcased Yemen’s advanced military capabilities, similar to Hezbollah’s attack during the ‘Operation Fortieth Day’, which targeted Unit 8200 headquarters north of Tel Aviv. These events have exposed the vulnerability of the occupying entity’s capital to drones and missiles possessed by the Resistance Axis, as confirmed by analysts and experts within the occupying entity, who discussed the matter on Hebrew channels.

In response, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar sent a message to Ansar Allah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, praising the strike: “Your operation deep within the entity has reignited the spark of the al-Aqsa Flood and its impact on the heart of Tel Aviv”. He added: “Your exceptional strike sends a clear message to the enemy that their plans for containment and neutralisation have failed, and that the support fronts are becoming more effective”. Sinwar continued, “We are prepared for a prolonged war of attrition that will break the enemy’s political will just as the Al-Aqsa Flood shattered its military resolve”. He concluded, “Our combined efforts, alongside our brothers in Lebanon and Iraq, will defeat this enemy”. He reassured, “The Resistance is strong, and the enemy’s claims are mere lies and psychological warfare”.

Amid ongoing discussions about war with Lebanon, calls to expand military operations, championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remain a point of contention within the government and military establishment. Hebrew media reported conflicting information from Netanyahu’s office about his plans to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over disagreements regarding the army’s capacity to fight on both the Gaza and Lebanon fronts. Rumours that Netanyahu intended to appoint Gideon Sa’ar as Defense Minister sparked threats of mass resignations from military leaders, who viewed Sa’ar’s potential appointment as an insult to the military institution. This backlash reportedly led Netanyahu to reconsider and propose transferring the foreign minister to defence, with Sa’ar taking the foreign ministry instead.

As military options against Lebanon remain on the table, U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Tel Aviv and met with Netanyahu and Gallant. According to Hebrew media, Hochstein warned that expanding military operations against Hezbollah risks igniting a regional war, which poses a serious danger to Israel and should be avoided. He emphasised that war would not bring back the prisoners or displaced, and that in the end, the resolution would be diplomatic, not a decisive victory. Hochstein questioned, “If the current diplomatic solution will eventually prevail, why risk war?”