The Cat and Mouse Game Iran is Playing

According to al-Jazeera TV in Qatar, Israel, since October 7, has conducted five times more operations against Hezbollah than the reverse. Since we know that Hezbollah is able to defeat the defunct Iron Dome missile system, why has Hezbollah, and by reference Iran, been holding back on exacting as much damage against Israel? What is holding Iran, or its proxies, knowing well they can reach Tel Aviv with their missiles and drones? The cat and mouse game Iran is playing against Israel may yet divulge a secret weapon Iran is holding back until it can maximize its effect.

Both Iran and Hezbollah have threatened Israel on numerous occasions by claiming that they will retaliate for all of Israel’s terror at a time and place of their choosing. Is Iran dragging Israel into a trap? This is the question that is on everyone’s mind.

Or, is it a case of hollow threats to deflect from Iranian weakness from engaging in an all-out war, which will also drag the US into defending Israel? Since the Houthis and Hezbollah have been able to strike Israel with relative ease, we believe that whatever secret weapon Iran may be hiding, it wants to use it to maximize the damage against Israeli troops. Troops Iran believes Israel will eventually use to invade Lebanon again.

In the meantime, both parties are escalating because it is the only option both have at their disposal.

If anything, Hezbollah was negligent in securing its orders during a time its network was under assault.

SENDING HEZBOLLAH ON A GOOSE CHASE

Leaks to the US media highlighted the fact that Israel relied on human intelligence (HumInt), which pinpointed the location of the meeting the top Radwan Force commanders were holding underground in South Beirut. Hezbollah is extremely careful who it trusts with such secret information, and it is unlikely that Israel has infiltrated their ranks, as Israel may be claiming.

It is psychological warfare to sow more seeds of doubt and fear into the Hezbollah leadership.

The most likely scenario is that the U.S. intercepted the less secure communications Hezbollah had to resort to after the pager and walkie-talkie explosions. If anything, Hezbollah was negligent in securing its orders during a time its network was under assault.

Having said that, we can not discount that if Hezbollah used human messengers to arrange the meeting of the top commanders of the Radwan Force, that one of those messengers may have been compromised by Israel.

The US did not prosecute the neocons for their Iraq War treachery, potentially the Israelis, when they lose big, might do the job for all of us.

THE RADWAN BRIGADE

For those who know little about the Radwan Force, suffice to say that it is a hardened, battle-ready Hezbollah force that fought along the Assad regime during the civil war in Lebanon. Israel fears its readiness and its experience. Hitting its leadership after hitting Hezbollah operations and logistical structures with the booby-trapped pagers may be a sign Israel is about to invade Lebanon.

No one sees how Israel can return its northern settlers without invading Lebanon.

The possibility that a big war is coming to Lebanon is now more probable than not. Can Iran exact a heavy price on Israel? Or, will this be another long war in which Israel kills as many Lebanese civilians, and destroys their country, as it did to Gaza? We do not have a good answer for this question.

Hezbollah and its Iranian mentor, from what we know, will be ready for Netanyahu should Israel invade. Maybe, this is the big lesson the neo-Nazi extremists in Israel, the same people who cheered and promoted the Iraq War, need to learn in order for the Israelis to throw them out of power for good.

The US did not prosecute the neocons for their Iraq War treachery, potentially the Israelis, when they lose big, might do the job for all of us.

The Cat and Mouse Game Iran is Playing