in view of the changed, more threatening, circumstances arising since the Israel-Hizballah ceasefire, confirmed by UN Security Council Res 1701, ended the 2006 war. Israel then pledged not to initiate hostile operations against Hizballah. Since then, this Shiite group’s troops have been fighting outside Lebanon in Syria under the command of Iranian officers, hand in glove with a regime sworn to annihilate Israel and beginning to upgrade Nasrallah’s missiles for high-precision attacks.
Kochavi now confronts Hizballah’s Hassan Nasrallah with two broad options. He can defer his revenge attack and wait for a move opportune moment, or he can go for broke in the coming hours. Whichever course he chooses, he will understand that the third round of the Hizballah-Israel war to be fought in 13 years has begun and it will take place in a different scenario.