An expert has warned that Israel is fighting a losing battle against Hezbollah in Lebanon. (Image: Getty)
has been issued a shocking warning that it “cannot wipe out ” with its campaign in that recently escalated to a ground invasion.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that its troops had crossed the border into Lebanon for “limited, ” raids against Hezbollah.
The following day, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of eight IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon – the first to die in the ground invasion.
Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with the IDF in the border towns of Maroun Al Ras and Adaisseh. Israeli Prime Minister called the soldiers “heroes” and extended his condolences to their families.
This escalating conflict has prompted fears of an all-out war in the , particularly after , launching a barrage of 180 missiles at on Monday in a show of support for Hezbollah, its most powerful and well-armed proxy.
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Eight IDF soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. (Image: Getty)
Hezbollah poses a bigger threat to than Hamas, who it’s currently fighting in Gaza, prompting warnings that its recent airstrikes and ground invasion may not be enough to fully defeat the militant group.
Edmund Fitton-Brown, senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project and the UK’s former ambassador to , added to these concerns.
He pointed to the Yemeni rebels, another arm of s “axis of resistance”, as a further threat to consider as the conflict in the Middle East potentially spreads.
Fitton-Brown noted the importance of both groups, but maintained Hezbollah as the more “crucial Iranian asset”, adding the worrying warning that it cannot be stopped by .
He told the Daily Express: “The Houthis and Lebanese to Iran for different reasons. Neither one can replace the other.
[REPORT] [REVEAL]
” cannot wipe out Hezbollah so the latter will remain a crucial Iranian asset on the Israeli border, even if it is currently weakened.
“The Houthis are too far away from to pose more than an occasional threat to it. But they are a vital Iranian tool for threatening Saudi Arabia and international shipping. So Iran will want to sustain, support, and
On Thursday, the IDF said it had killed around 15 Hezbollah members in an attack in southern Lebanon. It said in a statement on Telegram that they were killed in a strike on a municipality building in Bint Jbeil that was being used to store weapons.
Hezbollah has a strong presence in the southern suburbs of Beirut, so has been concentrating its airstrikes there, as well as in the south and east of the country.