Threat of Israel-Hezbollah war has receded for now – but this stand-off is untenable

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Speaking from the Gulf, Andreas Krieg, a Middle East defence expert with King’s College London, told i: “It’s my observation as well, speaking to Israelis, that the status quo in the north is untenable, and eventually something’s going to give.

“But I just don’t think – and I think this is still the consensus in Israel – that a military operation is going to achieve the objective, which is to stop Hezbollah shooting projectiles, whatever they are, or drones into Israeli territory.”

A second key objective is to make Hezbollah withdraw north of the Litani River. “I don’t think that can be achieved by military means, or it would come at a massive military cost that I think doesn’t warrant the benefits that could be achieved,” says Krieg.

Period	26 Aug 2024