There is Already a War in Lebanon
Israel is not playing around
There is so much going on, not just domestically this election year in the USA, but internationally as well—from the Philippines to the Red Sea to Ukraine—and we are approaching the 1-year anniversary of the attacks on Israel from Gaza. It is easy to lose track.
Just look at the number on that chart above from ISW. 800. Via Bloomberg:
The Israeli military said it had struck around 800 Hezbollah targets on Monday as part of the deadliest strikes on Lebanon since fighting started last October.
"Since this morning, the IDF (military) has conducted proactive and extensive aerial strikes against Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon," a statement said, adding that the strikes hit "approximately 800 Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon and in the area of Bekaa deep inside Lebanese territory".
The Israeli military expanded its Lebanon campaign with hundreds of airstrikes on Monday, as the long-simmering border conflict with Hezbollah threatened to explode into a larger war.
Dozens of Israeli warplanes struck more than 1,300 targets in southern Lebanon on Monday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Just to give you an idea of scale here. The distance from Sidon east to the Syrian border and Sidon down the coast to the Israeli border is about 55 kilometers. That is a couple of kilometers more distance from DC to Baltimore. The distance from Tyre directly east to the Israeli border is 20 kilometers. You get the idea. Here is an approximate and rough outline of the size of the territory we’re talking about.
That space is roughly 1,500 to 2,000 square kilometers. As such, that means one strike, depending on where between 800-1,300 we are as of Tuesday morning, a strike every ~1.5 square kilometers if evenly distributed.
Let me give you another reference. During Operation Desert Fox from 16-19 December 1998, against Iraq, we struck just 97 targets. That was one of my moments in the sun, and I remember it like yesterday. The fact that the Hezbollah operation is 8-10 times larger…well…this is not insignificant.
The amount of ordnance Israel has consumed the last year, here and in Gaza, is a number that should, once known, give further evidence to everyone that mass still matters. Magazines need to be numerous, and deep.
As a side note, we are just six weeks away from the election, yet national security issues remain a third-tier topic.
Amazing.
BT BT BT
I have a point of order here. Let’s talk about the ISW map at the top.
The Institute for the Study of War is, really, an American institution.
The Critical Threats Project and The Dr. Jack London Geospatial Fund come out of the American Enterprise Institute, obviously an American institution.
In 2019, the USA recognized the Golan Heights as an integral part of Israel. It is not “Israel Controlled Golan Heights” any more than the state of Arizona is “American Controlled Arizona.”
Does ISW/AEI disagree with this? Is there a policy statement? Is this an error?
The Israelis are, at last, doing the necessary, and despite the bleating from our current "Administration". We need to give them any help they need and get out of the way.
Simply.amazing.
But our political types aren't paying attention, really. To reach back into history, we're looking more and more like the last days of Rome.
Our "elites" couldn't be a more stereotypical group of self-aggrandizing narcissists on the Lido deck of the Titantic than if we'd ordered them from Cecil B. DeMille's casting shop.
Or the bunker, from "Downfall," if you're really wanting to get dark.