Israel’s unresolved conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah on its own borders are a sharp reminder of the limitations of military power, even after the dramatic shift in Israel’s defence strategy in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks.
“We want to be in a position from now on that no beasts can grow on our borders,” said Amidror. “We should take pre-emptive wars as something we use whenever we identify on the other side of the border, a beast that is becoming slowly stronger.”
But launching wars has historically been far easier than ending them here.
Israel is currently fighting on a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, after the Iran-backed group responded to the killing of Khamenei and joined Iran’s attacks on Israel.
After decades of repeated wars with Hezbollah, and a fierce campaign in 2024 that left the group weakened, many in Israel see this moment as an opportunity to end the threat on their northern border once and for all.
Israeli forces are pushing into southern Lebanon, in what they say is, so far, a defensive operation. But their chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, has said his objective is to disarm Hezbollah, and that what was needed now above all was “persistence and patience”.
“This will take considerable time,” he said, describing the current conflict as “the war of our generation: a critical war, a decisive war [that] will determine our future and our security for many years to come.”
Senior military officials say privately that a ground invasion across a large swathe of Lebanese territory is among the plans being considered.