RITTER: Netanyahu's Mouth 'Got in the Way of Reality,' This is a 'Strategic Defeat' for Israel
Israeli leader is looking to expand the war to drag the U.S. into the fight
Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, said in an interview published Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mouth — again — got in the way of reality and now the leader finds himself in a hole that he can’t easily get out of.
“The condition for victory here, as set by Netanyahu isn’t about punishing Hezbollah, it’s about returning the settlers to the north,” he told Judge Andrew Napolitano’s podcast. “This is Operation Let’s Get the Settlers Back to the North. They will never return to the north now. Hezbollah just said that. ‘We will make your life a living hell. You will not get a good night’s sleep. Not only will the settlers never return to the north, we’re going to force you to evacuate even more territory and the people in Haifa are going to spend their next life in a basement. This is a strategic defeat for Israel.
Last month, about 67 percent of Israelis said they support a more aggressive approach against Lebanon’s Hezbollah after months of clashes on the northern border, which has displaced 60,000 Israelis from their homes in settlements in northern Israel.
Hezbollah has said it will continue to wage a slow-burn war against Israel if Tel Aviv continues to carry out its genocide campaign in Gaza. Recent Israeli assassinations—including Fu’ad Shukr, a senior military commander for the group—have escalated the conflict.
Ritter said Netanyahu set forth goals for victory that will not be attained.
“All Hezbollah has to do now is survive and keep firing rockets into the north,” he said. “They don’t have to win. They don’t have to conquer Israel. To win this fight, the way Netanyahu has defined it, they just have to keep 60,000 Israelis from returning home, which is the easiest thing in the world to do. You just have to keep firing rockets and Israel doesn’t have the solution.
The New York Times reported late Monday that Israel killed at least 492 people across Lebanon on Monday and injured 1,640. The IDF struck 1,600 targets.
Blame for this war falls squarely on the shoulders of President Biden and his administration. Biden is the first President, ever, who was unwilling to intervene in a war between Israelis and Arabs. But the US is currently sending reinforcements to US outposts in the region that already has 55,000 US troops stationed there. This poses a greater US conflict with Russia and China since both nations have long-standing relationships with Iran. What it adds up to is a potential world war if it isn't stopped. Biden is not running for reelection and therefore is free to stop the war in Gaza and cool out the war in Lebanon before it blows up into a regional war. Biden doesn't have to worry about political fallout or raising reelection money. But he or his handlers refuse to do intervene. It implies Biden is not really in charge.