Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a long-expected missile attack by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday's attack, in retaliation for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a "crushing blow" from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed.
"The current situation is not sustainable," he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. "Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory."
"Maybe - just maybe - Israel's success at foiling Hezbollah’s retaliation might pave the way to concessions by Hamas in the negotiations over a hostage deal, given the failed bid to see the war expanded to engulf the entire region," wrote Avi Issacharoff, a commentator in Israel's biggest-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
Why do they need 40 rocket launch sites in southern Lebanon? Couldn't they build something more beneficial for the local population?
@PolentaHazelRepublican2yrs2Y
Hizbollah does not have 40 rocket sites, they have a thousand. And more than 150,000 rockets. Like Hamas in Gaza, Hizbollah is interested in Jihad, not in the lives and happiness of the people around them.
It has been said with good reason, that Iran is willing to fight Israel to the last Arab.
@ExactingTheRightUnity2yrs2Y
Too bad the wokes at the Pentagon aren't watching. They'd rather bail or run from our enemies. Remember, this is the 3rd anniversary of the BOTCHED bail out of Afghanistan by Kamala Harris and Sleepy Joe. She openly admitted she was in on the decision. War is ugly, but gets uglier when we let our enemies get away with murder, i.e., Biden's lifting of Trump Iran sanctions.
How’s those cease fire talks moving along? It’s hard to take cease fire talks seriously when one side has a stipulation that Israel must be gone. Defend yourself Israel and I like the preemptive strike plan.
@CulturedSheepRepublican2yrs2Y
Israel's enemies have been vowing to destroy it for the past seventy five years. Is there any better motivation for a nation to fight heroically and effectively than that?
@9SP4JRM2yrs2Y
Israel needs to stop pillaging and making enemies with its neighbors and then relying on America to step in and help them because they are dragging us into unnecessary war.
ATTENTION BLINKEN, SULLIVAN, BIDEN AND AUSTIN: This is how you deal with scorpions. Grind them under your boot until they're orange paste. Not coddle and pet them and blow them kisses and promises hoping they'll stop acting like scorpions and start acting like teddy bears.
@SheepishBoarsForward2yrs2Y
Israel’s insistence on keeping a military presence along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
After what happened last October, who could blame them?
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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