Impact of 'Hudhud' video on Israel's readiness for war...

3^min

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

The "Hudhud" video exposed Israel's northern front to Hezbollah, leading to intense discussions among political and military leaders about how to respond.

The Northern Command responded to the video by approving war plans that included Lebanon and shelling the southern region.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for war on Lebanon, warning that a decision to change the rules of engagement could be made soon.

Security officials, who urged efforts towards achieving a diplomatic solution, considering that the "Hudhud" video increases the challenges posed by Hezbollah's drones, cautioned against these statements.

The video caused panic in Haifa and the Krayot area.

Meanwhile, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav called on the army leadership and the government to implement an immediate plan to ensure the safety of residents before making any decisions that could drag the region into war.

Further, the heads of the Krayot municipalities wanted to know what kind of defense the army had in place to protect them.

Concurrently, with the threat of war and fears of significant risk to Haifa, its port, and other sites —especially considering the plans to secure residents and the lack of shelters—reports have revealed that Israel is currently unable to wage war on Lebanon for several reasons:

First, Tel Aviv has not yet succeeded in improving the defense system to face what some have called the "nightmare" of Hezbollah's drones, needing at least three more months to provide such a system according to a security report.

Secondly, the army needs to form and train at least two new military battalions for scenarios involving war on Lebanon, which requires at least six months.

Additionally, there is a significant shortage of armored vehicles and military equipment, exacerbated by a new Israeli-American crisis following Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about the United States supplying his country with weapons.

This issue led to the cancellation of scheduled talks in Washington on Thursday between US and Israeli officials, including Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Head of the National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi, aimed at tackling the Iran file and pressing to transfer frozen arms shipments to Israel for a possible war on Lebanon.

Furthermore, the Israeli home front is not prepared to handle at least five thousand rockets a day from Hezbollah, in addition to what Israelis describe as a "nightmare scenario" where sixty drones are launched at the same time.

All these reasons are prompting Israeli politicians, supported by top security, military, and expert figures, to be cautious and avoid rushing into any decision to start a war on Lebanon.