An Israeli ground invasion in northern Gaza is potentially inevitable, at the same time there is a risk that other regions could be drawn into the conflict, such as Hezbollah and potentially Iran, according to CNBC.
Hamas is believed to be just a weak underling of Hezbollah, which, however, is the most powerful non-state military in the world. Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told CNBC on Wednesday that if the conflict does spread, “it will be nothing short of a game-changer.”
The authority of Hezbollah or the “Party of God” dates back to the 1982 war, which was stood by Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. However, now, according to experts, Hezbollah no longer has the same level of domestic support. Therefore, involvement in the conflict seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, the opinion of Joseph Daher, author of “Hezbollah: The Political Economy of Lebanon’s Party of God,” is that Hezbollah is now a key regional player. The conflict’s scale is now more important than ever; and it is all about the plot scale. He also stated that the group “has accumulated huge experience, especially on the Syrian military scene, but also in Iraq and to a lesser extent Yemen.”
Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut and the author of “Hizbullah: A Mission to Nowhere,” made the following statement regarding Hezbollah’s intentions to enter the conflict:
Irrespective of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s decision, Hezbollah will not open a front from south Lebanon against Israel because it will justify Israel to destroy Lebanon. Iran has already informed Israel and the U.S. through third parties that it will rein in Hezbollah.
On Friday, apropos, Hezbollah’s deputy head, Naim Qassem, said his party was “fully ready” to take part in the fighting.
