TEHRAN - Israeli officials are still displaying a lot of hubris despite suffering major blows at the hands of regional resistance groups since the Gaza war broke out nearly 10 months ago.

Since Israel declared war on Gaza on October 7, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have dealt heavy blows to the regime’s army on the battlefield killing hundreds of its troops. 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement have also carried out strikes against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians against the backdrop of the war of genocide in Gaza which has so far claimed the lives of at least 39,400 people in the enclave. 

Likewise, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has far superior firepower than other regional resistance groups, has also been striking Israeli military positions for more than nine months. 

Israel, meanwhile, has hit targets inside Lebanon killing over 500 people, including civilians. 

Over the past months, the Benjamin Netanyahu regime has threatened to wage a full-fledged war against Hezbollah if the resistance group does not stop its attacks.

A weekend rocket attack in the occupied Israeli Golan Heights which killed 12 children has filled the air with the smell of an all-out war between the two sides. 

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack that hit a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday. 

Nonetheless, Israeli officials have resorted to rhetoric against the Lebanese resistance movement. 

Empty wish  

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for Israel to “reoccupy southern Lebanon” and “destroy” Hezbollah.  

“There is no way to restore security to the residents of the north [of Israel] without a war that will destroy Hezbollah, that will reoccupy southern Lebanon, and that will return the security strip that is today in our territory back to the territory of Lebanon,” Smotrich, who is also the leader of the National Religious Party-Religious Zionism, said in a televised speech broadcast by Hebrew media outlets. 

The far-right minister’s demand for reoccupying southern Lebanon comes more than 20 years after the Israeli army had to withdraw from that region.  

Israel launched an offensive in Lebanon in 1982, sending its tanks all the way to the capital Beirut. The regime occupied southern Lebanon for nearly 20 years until it was driven out by Hezbollah in 2000. 

Hence, the reoccupation of southern Lebanon is nothing more than a foolish delusion. 

Smotrich is also building castles in the air when he floats the idea of destroying Hezbollah. 

Over the past decades, Israel has failed to eliminate Hezbollah. The resistance movement has already fought off two Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. Hezbollah forced the Israeli army to retreat in both conflicts.

Currently, Hezbollah has about 150,000 missiles and rockets of various types and ranges. The resistance movement has also displayed its drone capabilities. It has recently published videos featuring drone footage of Israeli military bases and locations. 

Hezbollah drones have captured the footage and returned to Lebanon undetected. They successfully penetrated Israel’s defense layers. 

Besides, the number of Hezbollah operatives who are ready to join a potential war with Israel has exceeded 100,000, that’s according to Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

In addition to its military capabilities, Hezbollah is an influential political heavyweight in Lebanon. 

Israel can go to direct war with Hezbollah. But it won’t be able to determine the fate of such a conflict. As a result, the entire West Asia region could turn into hell on earth for Israeli troops and the supporters of the apartheid regime.