For about two weeks, Israel has been attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon in various ways. Many people have been killed in attacks in, among other places, the capital Beirut.
On September 28, the supreme leader of the Shia militia, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.
– Right now, Hezbollah is greatly weakened and the question is whether they can put up any resistance. That is what Israel wants to test with this attack, says Samir Abu Eid.
The Israeli military, the IDF, says the offensive is a limited one. But Abu Eid finds it difficult to see that Israel will want to back down.
– In recent weeks, Israel has been very hard on Hezbollah and I think Israel wants to continue and completely crush the group.
Hezbollah’s response of great importance
Hezbollah has not yet commented on the ground offensive, but on Monday the deputy leader, Naim Qassem, spoke out. He then said that the group is “ready” to face a ground invasion and that he is “convinced that a war against Israel would be won”.
What many are now waiting for is to see exactly how Hezbollah will respond to Israel’s ground attack, says Samir Abu Eid.
– How Hezbollah responds to the invasion will play a big role. And it remains to be seen how far Israel will go into southern Lebanon and what the consequences will be.
Strong support in Israel
Unlike the ongoing war in Gaza – which many Israelis are critical of – support for a ground offensive in Lebanon is strong among the Israeli people, according to Abu Eid.
– One goal that Israel has with this, what they call limited, ground offensive is that the 60,000 people who were forced to evacuate from villages in northern Israel should be able to move back. It supports people.