Israel is now doing something that has led to the downfall of many countries; fighting a war on several fronts at the same time.
Aside from its war against Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, it is now also engaged with Iran as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon. Not to mention the hostilities between it and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
It’s bound to get worse; Iran has warned that it may carry out an unconventional response to Israel’s attack, while pundits say Israel may attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
While Israel’s hand appears to have been forced by attacks from Iran as well as Hezbollah, let’s hope Israel isn’t biting off more than it can chew. By that we mean waging open war against several opponents including entire countries, terrorist groups, and independent militant groups.
Of course, we can look at history and see that a multi-front war is winnable, but only if one country has the backing of many others in a broad alliance. Think of the Entente in World War I and the Allied Forces in World War II.
And while Israel has support in its war against Hamas, this is war that is rapidly losing backing abroad because of the rising civilian casualties.
With Israel’s expertise in espionage and special operations, it really need not engage in open warfare to achieve its ends. In fact, it can even take the hint of Iran and engage in “unconventional responses” against its enemies.
We do not encourage war, but we also recognize that any state has not just the right but also the duty to defend itself from foreign attacks and to deter and punish the same. But with every country Israel attacks openly it risks drawing other nations and even the entire region into an all-out war.
And if we have learned anything else from history, a war that is fought long enough tends to spread.