The war between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah is growing more deadly by the day.
Iran conducted a missile attack on Oct. 1, and Israel was able to use defensive weapons to deflect the missiles. Israel recently killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and several other leaders of the militant group. As of the writing of this story, Israel invaded Lebanon to fight Hezbollah. However, the current invasion could be devastating, as stated by writer Steve Simon in his story, "Only a Strong US 'No' to Israel Will Stop the War in Lebanon." Simon gave us the gruesome picture: "The conflict would eviscerate Lebanese society, which is already in a state of economic collapse, spark a humanitarian crisis for which the United States and others will have to pick up the tab, generate increased attacks against US interests in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, and propel violence by Houthi forces in Yemen to higher levels. It will likely also fail to eliminate Hezbollah."
Simon's picture is not in the US's interest. Our country should continue to defend Israel against unprovoked attacks by Iran. However, Washington needs to make clear to Israel that it will not sanction a war against Iran by supplying munitions, joining the Israeli military in attacks against Hezbollah, or providing diplomatic cover for the deaths of civilians.
As the war in Gaza demonstrated, trying to control Israel's behavior will not work, as Simon stated. There are several reasons a war across Israel's northern border would be appalling - Hezbollah's forces and weaponry are embedded in civilian life, this human shield strategy will result in attacks that could kill tens of thousands of Lebanese, the artificial intelligence targeting system used by the Israel Defense Forces will also make for a high civilian toll, and Hezbollah, like Hamas, has dug underground bunkers and tunnels, so expect mayhem in urban areas.
The Joe Biden Aadministration is under political pressure to support Israel's operations, but there's a challenge. In 2006, during Israel's last foray against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the US pressured Israel to spare Lebanese civilians and infrastructure and end combat operations. Israel has long regarded that restraint as a reason for the nation's failure to weaken Hezbollah decisively.
As Simon stated, the well-trained IDF could inflict a lot of damage in the invasion. America and the IDF's air defenses could help deflect missile attacks from Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah has a vast missile inventory, and while air defenses could protect Israel from attack, some missiles could find their target.
Promises of a limited war in Lebanon by Israel don't mean much, considering the 40,000 dead in Gaza. There is a diplomatic solution to the crises. Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Hamas, and Iran is using both Hezbollah and Hamas as a proxy. Therefore, a cease-fire in Gaza is the best way out of this. If the war between Hamas and Israel comes to an end, then Hezbollah and Iran have no war to fight, as stated by Simon. Simon also said the diplomatic offensive could come from the US, one of the world's superpowers. Will the US be the leader in a cease-fire? Will we act like the diplomatic superpower we are?
Jason Sibert is the Lead Writer of the Peace Economy Project
