Two years back, when Hamas launched an unprecedented and ghastly attack on Israeli Defence Forces’ positions and civilians living in nearby Kibbutz, this author had professed that the Israeli reaction would be overwhelming and violent, creating conditions for the war to overspill on all fronts with the potential of becoming a regional war.

Over 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed and around 250 were taken as prisoners. The Israeli psyche was badly bruised and glaring gaps in the intelligence setup and war preparedness were exposed.

A shocked Israeli establishment took considerable time to assess the situation and evolve a comprehensive action plan. Its initial aim was to liberate all the hostages and crush the Hamas leadership and its potency to wage a war of that magnitude ever again. Hezbollah in Lebanon opened the Northern front of Israel in order to tie down sizeable IDF strength and reduce the pressure on Hamas in Gaza. Iran, Syria, and Houthis in Yemen provided moral and material support for the resistance to continue in Gaza. Iran and Yemen also launched long-range surface-to-surface bombs, missiles, and other projectiles onto Israel, the majority of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system.

Coping with emerging threats, in a mid-course correction, Israel enhanced the scope of the war to engulf the whole region and once and for all reduce all future existential threats to its integrity and sovereignty.

A premeditated plan to wipe out the entire Hezbollah leadership using technology........

© News18