The targeted killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, the pager attacks, the bombing of Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut and now the bombing of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah – can only be described as Israel attempting to dismantle Iran’s Axis of Resistance which consists of Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and pro-Iran militias in Iraq. There has not been much action from the pro-Iraqi militias since they declared a ceasefire in the conflict and have been saved from Israel’s wrath.
The entire Hezbollah leadership is eliminated. The organization is now run by a corporal named Ahmad, who uses ChatGPT to figure out what the hell to do 🤡
_ pic.twitter.com/PFTUJDuHzN— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) September 27, 2024
Dozens of Israeli plans struck the port and power plants in Yemen after Houthi launched missile attacks. That launch was the third time that Houthi rebels launched missiles to Israel and this time it is believed that they were targeting Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv.
The last strike on Yemen was a logistical task for the Israeli Air Force. Planning the use of a dozen aircraft, including F-35s, against Houthi targets in Yemen is much more so, which involves aging air-to-air fuel tankers and actionable intelligence for a coordinated strike. The Houthi attack was on 28 September and Israel’s response was the next day. This means that it was an operation that was already being planned logistically and that Israel was just waiting for the opportunity.
It also created an opportunity with the killing of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who took that post 32 years ago. After his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was killed by Israel in 1992. Nasrallah was a suspicious person and that is one of the reasons why he remained alive for so long. He did not use technology and did not have a pager or cellphone himself and kept his schedule and whereabouts on an irregular schedule. The death of Nasrallah sent shockwaves throughout the region and it makes sense that Israel would follow it with additional strikes on Hezbollah and other members of the Axis of Resistance. The link between Iran and Hezbollah does not need further explanation, but it is also reported that General Abbas Nilforushan of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) was also killed in the bombing that killed Nasrallah.
Hezbollah’s leadership has been eliminated and its command and control have been interrupted due to the pager attack. Israel has been targeting Hezbollah weapons caches, and missile launchers in its bombing campaign. Israel killed the 7th most senior Hamas commander, Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council, in an attack on Saturday. Hezbollah has not mounted a coordinated retaliation, but it may not be able to and not just because of its command and control being in disarray.
Hezbollah is purported to have hundreds of thousands of rockets and missiles, but they may not have Iran’s permission to retaliate. It has been to be remembered that Hezbollah is part of Iran’s Axis of Resistance against Israel, and Iran has bolstered its missile and rocket capability to serve as a deterrent. Hezbollah will survive as it also has tens of thousands of fighters in Lebanon. Hezbollah will rebuild, but it will take some time.
Someone should ask the Houthis how that FAFO tastes. pic.twitter.com/DIRwJQXdmI
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) September 29, 2024
The Houthi rebels in Yemen are also part of Iran’s Axis. Iranian and Hezbollah trainers have purportedly assisted the Houthis with their attacks on Red Sea shipping. Again, Israel cannot destroy the Houthi movement from the air, but it has degraded its capabilities by targeting the Port of Hodeidah and its energy infrastructure. It is believed that Israel hit facilities at the port that contained weapons and oil imported from Iran.
Israel is continuing to strike the Axis of Resistance to ensure that it is in a state of disarray and unable to retaliate. There is a strategic goal as well. If Israel can sow enough confusion and havoc that the Axis of Resistance is crippled in the short term and force Iran to order its allies to back down. This would also include Hamas and a possible ceasefire and exchange of the remaining hostages. If Israel can dominate the Axis of Resistance then even Hamas will realise that its allies are on the back foot and unable to assist.
Events in days to come will also determine if this strategy will work.
Featured Image: “Israeli F-35I bearing Mk-84 bombs fitted with GBU-31″ – Wikimedia Commons, 2024