By killing Nasrallah, Israel is demonstrating violence that terrorists understand

Article content

A phenomenal 10-day military operation by Israel against the terrorist group Hezbollah culminated last week with the targeted assassination of its leader and Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

Beginning with the suspected mass detonation of booby-trapped wireless communications devices used by Hezbollah terrorists, Israeli forces took advantage of the ensuing chaos to launch an airstrike that killed the terrorist group's top commanders, who were massing in Beirut had gathered for a meeting. Such was the boldness, precision and ingenuity of Israel's relentless attacks that they appeared to have unsettled Hezbollah's patron saint, Ali Khamenei, in Iran.

Article content

Nasrallah, arguably the world's most feared terrorist, is the highest-profile target killed since former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was eliminated by U.S. forces in Syria in 2019.

The psychological and operational destruction inflicted on Hezbollah – which means “Party of God” in Arabic – in such a short period of time has shattered the group’s projected image of invincibility. This is a major victory for Israel, whose aura of strength was severely undermined by the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

The intelligence failures that led to that fateful day, coupled with the West's penchant for appeasing Iran, pushed Israel into a fight for its survival. Therefore, it was no surprise that Israel decided to take the fight to Hezbollah, the crown jewel in Iran's “Axis of Resistance.”

To be clear: Israel did not attack Hezbollah without reason. For nearly a year, the terror group had carried out unprovoked, almost daily attacks on Israel in support of Hamas, overwhelming the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Israel finally decided to strike hard and smart when it got wind that Hezbollah was planning its version of an October 7 attack.

Article content

Article content

Although Israel's “de-escalation through escalation” strategy is fraught with risks, it has the potential to fundamentally change the Middle East conflict.

Although the strategy is still in its infancy, it has yielded notable military and diplomatic successes. The Israelis have significantly weakened the combat capabilities of the world's most armed non-state actor after beheading its senior leadership and destroying significant quantities of its ammunition stockpile.

That's not all. With Nasrallah having the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands, Israel's efforts have drawn praise from its biggest ally, the United States.

His death also appears to be a cause for celebration for many Syrians and Lebanese who will finally feel a sense of justice after suffering immensely from Hezbollah's brutal occupation during the Syrian Civil War and decades of tyrannical rule in Lebanon.

Article content

Canadian Arabs, Iranians and Jews also have reason to cheer considering that Hezbollah, a Canadian-listed terrorist organization, has turned the country into a major transnational center for narco-terrorism to finance its violent extremist activities in the Middle East.

Undeniably, dismantling Hezbollah is not only an Israeli priority, but is also in the long-term interests of the Middle East and the West.

But many Western countries such as Canada and France do not support Israel's extraordinary efforts against Hezbollah. A few hours after Nasrallah's death was confirmed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to stoke fear-mongering about abortion. After receiving heavy criticism, he broke his silence by issuing a watered-down statement so as not to offend the pro-terror crowd. But what Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly did was even more bizarre. Not only did she choose to tweet about her meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, but she also assured him of Canada's support for UNRWA, despite a recent UN investigation finding that supposedly Nine of his employees were involved in the October 7th massacre.

Article content

When dealing with Iran or Islamist terrorist groups, Western governments have for years based their policies on diplomacy and vote bank politics, which has only served to set the Middle East on fire. However, given the existential threat from both sides, Israel rightly recognizes that appeasement leads to escalation.

As Israeli Army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, “The price to Hezbollah must be high.” Sustained military pressure – without costly and risky ground operations – will continue to weaken and control Hezbollah and possibly Iran.

Hezbollah is down – but not out. She is part of the social fabric of Lebanon and her evil Islamist ideology cannot be killed with bombs and bullets. With help and guidance from Iran, the terrorist group will rebuild itself to fight another day. Israel and the West must prepare for this scenario by developing maximum-pressure strategies that will hasten the defeat of their ideological enemies and ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.

Joe Adam George is a Middle East and South Asia national security analyst and writer at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute

National Post

Article content