Washington may not fully realize it yet, nor the presidential candidate herself, but Vice President Harris’ honeymoon effectively ended Saturday in the Golan Heights on a bloody soccer field. The Mideast is on the cusp of what might become its bloodiest war since Israel’s founding in 1948.
Harris’ self-serving decision to pander to Gen Z and progressive votes on Thursday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office is turning out to have deadly results.
Harshly criticizing Israel as she did in front of Bibi at the White House might bag November votes – but they are also leading to body bags in Gaza and North Israel.
Now, Israeli civilians are paying a heavy price for her words.
In what could be described as a second Oct. 7, Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on a soccer field Saturday afternoon in the Golan Heights, killing 12 people, including children, and injuring 40.
The attack struck the village of Majdal Shams. Home to a large Druze community – an Arab and Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious group. Many Druze are Israeli citizens and proudly serve in the IDF.
Israel identified 30-plus projectiles crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory and has blamed the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group for the attack. Hezbollah denies the accusation, “firmly denying” they fired the rockets.
According to IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the rocket used in the attack on the soccer field was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket. If not fired by Hezbollah, then it could have been fired by Iranian Revolutionary Islamic Corps (IRGC) forces in Lebanon.
Same difference.
The White House is reportedly urging Israel to provide a “balanced response” to the latest atrocity. That is not likely.
Harris told Netanyahu she would not be silent. Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran heard her loud and clear and just told her they will not be silent either.
In telling Israel she has serious concerns, Harris unwittingly, yet predictably, sent a greenlight to all three Axis of Evil partners that it is open hunting season again on Israel and its civilians throughout the country.
Harris naively might have thought her ploy for votes in Michigan would lead to a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. But that ceasefire is not going to happen now and Harris, despite her team’s denials to the contrary, shoulders much of the burden of blame.
Israel is in damage control now. Harris is requiring a clean-up on aisle 9 – and now the IDF has a new and emerging mission in Northern Israel: destroying Hezbollah.
It is highly likely that in the coming days, we will start to see kinetically the beginning of the end of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But the Biden-Harris White House’s ongoing failures in the Mideast have always been bigger than just Hamas or Hezbollah. Iran is the enemy Biden and Harris refuse to face down – and that Israel is forced to confront. Alone.
Our military commanders get the broad nature of multiple threats emanating from Tehran. Harris does not. Biden may have once gotten it, but he effectively is no longer in charge.
Iran as a threat is much bigger than Harris can grasp. Much bigger.
Last week, Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, reportedly “advised in a classified letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that military operations in the region were ‘failing’ to deter Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and that a broader approach would be needed.”
Military operations throughout the Middle East are ‘failing’ to deter Iranian-backed attacks against Israel, U.S. military bases, and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The head of the hydra in the form of Iran is still firmly attached – and Harris is now forcing Israel to remove the Hamas and Hezbollah extremities.
Iran has no intention of going quietly. Tehran’s march toward nuclear breakout continues unabated – and they are interpreting Harris’ campaign-driven words and actions as giving the Mullahs time and space.
Israel will not go quietly either. The Druze hold a special status in Israel – and have long been revered as fierce and cherished IDF compatriots.
Hezbollah, in effect, in striking Israel, declared war on the Druze – and Harris is about to find out that this is a Pandora’s Box not easily closed no matter how many progressive and Gen Z votes she needs come November.
Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer and led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012 to 2014. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy.
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