Escalation to what ends? Israel further widens war beyond Gaza

François PICARD | Alessandro XENOS | Rebecca GNIGNATI | Alon PINKAS | Philip TURLE | Rawad TAHA | Joshua LANDIS

Edité par France 24 - 2024

Militarily, the Israelis have so far been wildly successful, neutralising much of the enemy's leadership and thereby cashing in on years of painstaking intelligence work. But what is the precise objective of it all?

After flattening Gaza for a year, Israel has already forced an estimated 1.2 million Lebanese to flee their homes. To what end? Israelis employ the adage that to make peace, you first need war. We ask our panel if that makes sense, as the world waits for Israel's response to direct rocket attacks by Hezbollah's patron Iran.

And does this escalation serve the interests of Israel's allies? In the United States, talk of brokering a truce alongside France has gone quiet. Is Joe Biden or Binyamin Netanyahu driving policy in Washington?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Annarosa Zampaglione

Note
  • When does escalation morph into overreach? On October 8, the one-year anniversary of the first Hezbollah rockets fired on Israel, the IDF is announcing the killing of another top-ranking Hezbollah commander – the heir apparent to Hassan Nasrallah – and the deployment of a fourth division to southern Lebanon.

Langue
anglais
Date de publication
08/10/2024
Collection
The Debate
Contributeurs
Alon PINKAS Retired Israeli diplomat
Philip TURLE International Affairs Editor, FRANCE 24
Rawad TAHA FRANCE 24 Beirut correspondent
Joshua LANDIS Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma

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