Hezbollah finally launched hundreds of rockets and drones from Lebanon into northern Israel on Sunday 25 August, in its promised retaliation that, according to Israeli claims, were largely shot down with minimum damage to Israeli infrastructure or any significant casualties.
Meanwhile almost 100 Israeli jets attacked Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, the same morning, that Israel said were pre-emptive strikes to weaken Hezbollah’s ability to attack Israel by destroying multiple rocket launching sites.
Amidst the ongoing threats and limited tit for tat attacks, it seems that both Israel and Hezbollah are keen to avoid major escalation in hostilities and a full scale war.
This is the same scenario of limited exchange between Iran and Israel in April where Iran launched largely an ineffective direct strike on Israel, as a face saving device after its embassy was attacked in Syria, with restrained response from Israel.
So in spite of the brutal oppression of Palestinians for decades in the occupied territories, periodic killing of defenceless women and children and now the full scale genocide in Gaza, why there is no one who can come to the rescue of these defenceless people.
Firstly, Israel is, and very much aware of its invincibility, of winning a conventional war with Iran, Hezbollah and their other supporters in the Middle East and so are all other countries in the Middle East who dare not challenge Israel.
Secondly, Israel with its lobbying power projected through the international Zionist lobby specially in the West with ‘ironclad’ guarantee by the US of Israel’s security and ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’ mantra from other countries, Israel gets away with murder.
Thirdly, Israel has stockpiled a very large arsenal of nuclear weapons that all of its friends and foes are very much aware of. It has considered the use of nuclear option at various stages in its history and is very likely to use it with devastating effect against any country in the world.
The only deterrence against Israel’s invincibility would be the threat to its population through nuclear attacks and that’s why it has actively been engaged in denying acquisition of nuclear weapons by Muslim countries through assassination of scientists, bombing of institutions and transfer of nuclear technology to these countries.
Israel’s nuclear strategy has been detailed in a best seller book titled ‘The Samson Option’ by respected American journalist, Seymour M Hersh that puts in detail the history of Israel’s nuclear weapons program, acquisition, stockpiles and options of its usage.
The ‘Samson Option’ refers to the nuclear strategy of ‘die and let die’ whereby Israel would launch a massive nuclear pre-emptive or retaliatory strike if the Zionist state perceived or faced existential threat from any country or countries.
Historically, Samson during his fight against his adversaries pushed apart the pillars of the temple, bringing down the roof and killing himself and thousands of his enemies who had gathered to see him humiliated and defeated.
The book details Israel’s spying of its benefactor, the US and its threat to use the Sampson Option in 1973 war with Egypt, blackmailing President Richard Nixon into airlifting military supplies to Israel.
The author of the book includes two quotations from Israeli leaders, that a “former Israeli government official” with “first hand knowledge of his government’s nuclear weapons program” told him: We can still remember the smell of Auschwitz and Treblinka. Next time we’ll take all of you with us.
And again, he quotes then Israeli defence minister Ariel Sharon as saying: We are much more important than (Americans) think. We can take the Middle East with us whenever we go.
During its onslaught on Gaza, a number of Israeli leaders have openly talked about nuking Gaza and even Iran for that matter in pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
With its brutal track record of ongoing genocide in Gaza with no value for non-Jewish lives, men women and children, Israel has been exposed as a rogue state that can bring devastation to not only in the Middle East but to the whole world.
This is a frightening scenario indeed which is close to reality and a great threat to world peace.
C. AMUST
