Dr. Yossi Mansharof : In Israeli society, there is an almost total consensus that a war against Hezbollah is an unavoidable necessity. The Israeli public expects a more significant response than it has seen so far. At the same time Israel, Hezbollah and Iran are not interested in sliding into an all-out war.

Dr. Raphael BenLevi: The way of threading the needle is to “attack Hezbollah arsenals and sites from the air,as well as a ground incursion that would stop far short of Beirut, and likely even short of the Litani river. Israel would be unlikely to try to destroy Hezbollah, in contrast with Hamas in Gaza, in order to avoid a broader conflict with its sponsor Iran.

The interview was published in JewishInsider on July 29, 2024.