Live updates: Israel and Hezbollah exchange strikes as U.S. proposes Lebanon cease-fire
NBCSEP 26 2024
The Israel-Hezbollah Conflict
Above: A view of a poster of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah amid destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh neighborhood, known as stronghold of Hezbollah, after intense Israeli attacks, southern Beirut, Lebanon on Oct. 2, 2024. Image copyright: Houssam Shbaro/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel's greatest strategic failure in recent decades was allowing Hezbollah to remain on the Lebanese border. Hezbollah is the most powerful terror group in the word, possessing tens of thousands of rockets pointed at Israel. However, Israel has managed to turn the tide and even show its primary ally, the US, how to win wars against terror armies. Since mid-September, Israel has crushed Hezbollah's leadership and severely limited its military capabilities. Nonetheless, more must be done to ensure the security of northern Israel.
Anti-Israel narrative
The only reason Hezbollah exists and continues its resistance is because of Israel's occupation of Lebanon and its acts of aggression against Palestinians. Resistance is a natural reaction to expansionist imperial aggression, and there have been many cases in which a smaller force managed to win against a larger colonial army. Israel has tried for decades to subdue Palestinian and Lebanese aspirations for justice, yet it continues to fail.