Israel has launched attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen in the past two years in addition to its war against Gaza and its increasingly violent occupation of the West Bank.
This week, the most recent attacks against Syria went so far as to strike the country’s Ministry of Defense.
Of course, the Israelis make their arguments clear about the attacks in Syria, primarily to defend the Syrian Druze minority, as Israel has in their words. Although a US-brokered ceasefire has been in place, whether it will continue to exist is still a mystery.
Israel vowed to put an end to Hezbollah’s threat in Lebanon.
Iran’s attempt to build a nuclear bomb was put on hold as a result of the attacks, according to the report.
Israel’s bombing of Yemen was a response to Houthi rebel attacks.
Leaving aside the explanations, the question is whether the Israelis can continue to act in a way that has drawn the attention of many around the world, particularly in the Middle East.
Relationship-building is favored over impunity.
Israel asserts that Israel must win this existential conflict, and that there are more than 58 000 Palestinians killed in Gaza as a result.
At least in its current far-right makeup, the Israeli government doesn’t seem to care if its neighbors don’t like it. Instead, it seems to care that they are afraid of it.
The Israelis believe they can largely accomplish what they want because they are the region’s most powerful military force, supported by the most powerful military force in the world.
Israel is profiting from a shifting world order and a moment of change in how things are run, particularly as President Donald Trump has made an obvious transition to a more transactional foreign policy.
Previous attempts to maintain the concept of a liberal international order, where institutions like the UN ensure the application of international law were unsuccessful.
However, Israel’s actions have made it increasingly difficult to keep the pretense despite decades.
Even though it is against international law, Israel has been unable to stop it from occupying Palestinian territory.
In the West Bank, new settlements are being built and expanded, and Palestinians who are not killed by settlers continue to perish.
Israel has repeatedly broken the law of war in Gaza, according to human rights organizations and international organizations, and it has been accused of genocide there but is unable to prove it.
Taking advantage
No other country wants to assume the position that the US is undoubtedly vacating, or feels powerful enough.
And until the regulations are revised, it’s starting to feel like might and right. Israel, the only nuclear power in the area, is profiting from this.
Those who criticized Israel’s actions over the past two years would also argue that those who predicted its attacks’ negative effects have been misled.
The Iranian-led Axis of Resistance reportedly posed a major threat to Israel, and the argument was that if Israel went too far with its attacks, they would launch severe strikes against it.
Iran and its allies did escalate, and in many cases, they decided to stand down rather than risk the total destruction of their countries or organizations.
Israel was actually attacked by Iran in a unique way, with Tel Aviv frequently being hit directly.
However, some of the worst-case scenarios were untrue, and the direct conflict between Israel and Iran ended in a 12-day period of inactivity without a wider regional conflict.
Israel can be even happier with the outcome in Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s renowned leader, was severely diminished last year, along with much of its military might and some of its influence in Lebanon. It is no longer much of a threat to Israel, at least in the near future.
Israeli sexism
Israel appears to think that having strong neighbors is beneficial.
There is the impression that there is no real need to provide an endgame or next-day scenario, just like there is in the case of Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demonstrated, Israel can maintain chaos as far away from its borders as long as there is security inside.
However, the situation in Syria right now is an intriguing illustration of what can go wrong and when Israeli hubris may be overbearing.
Netanyahu has argued that demilitarized Syria must continue to exist south of Damascus.
In response to the violence involving Bedouin fighters and government forces, he first argued that this would guarantee the safety of the Druze minority, whose thousands of residents also reside in Israel.
The new leadership’s past ties to organizations like al-Qaeda made them untrustworthy, according to the second argument.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa agreed to remove government security forces from the Druze-majority province of Suwayda on Thursday after Israel bombed and some US pressure, warning that while “it may be possible to start a war,” it would “not be easy to control its consequences.”
In response to rumours of massacres against them, it was clear that thousands of Bedouin and other tribal forces were heading to Suwayda to support the Bedouins.
A new ceasefire was established on Saturday after Al-Sharaa announced that Syrian government forces would be stationed in Suwayda to put an end to the ongoing fighting there, presumably with the consent of Israel.
As it turns out, having a strong state in place that has complete control over its territory might be more beneficial than allowing anarchy to reign.
Blowback
If anything, Israel’s actions in Syria will make other nations suspicious of its regional isolation and raise questions about its possible allies.
Israel’s behavior and Saudi Arabia’s support for the new Syrian government will strengthen Riyadh’s belief that any “Abraham Accords” normalizing ties can’t occur in the near future.
Israeli hegemony, especially with the rise of messianic far-right forces in many Middle Eastern nations, causes conflict, expansionism, chaos, and security risks.
And Israel’s unspecified military successes run the risk of losing ground elsewhere.
Iran’s military might have suffered a significant blow in the conflict with Israel, but Tehran will likely use its tactics to further its defenses, increase its defenses, and possibly put a focus on developing nuclear weapons.
As previously mentioned, as long as they continue to receive US support, the opinions of regional leaders may not be their top priority.
However, that does not mean that, in the long run, Israel will increasingly face criticism for its actions, both diplomatically and in terms of its security.
Any populace can’t be assured of long-term security due to ongoing wars, even if they happen outside of Israel’s borders.
Apparently, there has already been a decrease in the percentage of military reservists who respond to calls. It is challenging to maintain a permanent military footing indefinitely in a nation where the majority of military personnel are reservists with jobs, families, and families to care for.
That has caused an increasing division in Israel between a dominant ultranationalist camp that wants to fight first, ask questions later, annex Palestinian territory, and use brute force to impose regional acceptance, and a more centrist camp that, while perhaps not placing any value on reducing Palestinian suffering, attempts to hold on to a “liberal Zionist” image of Israel.
Israel can use its military might and US support to achieve quick results if the ultranationalist camp holds onto its position of power in the present.
But it is breeding resentment among its neighbors and losing support among its traditional allies by creating chaos around its borders and abiding by international standards, even in the US, where public support is declining.
