By Jesus Mesa
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When walkie-talkies and solar equipment started exploding around Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday — part of a second wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah devices — some Israelis saw it as a welcome, maybe even overdue, sign of its government taking a more forceful line against the militant group to the north.
At least 30 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in this latest wave of attacks, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. While the strikes were widely attributed to Israel and appeared to target Hezbollah, they also resulted in civilian casualties, according to local media reports.
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The coordinated and sophisticated attacks on Hezbollah's electronic infrastructure come after months of escalating tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into northern Israel shortly after the war in Gaza erupted, following Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7.
Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, has said it will keep attacking Israel until it leaves Gaza. Israel has responded with more airstrikes, but for some Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response has not been forceful enough.
Some 60,000 Israelis who live near the border with Lebanon have been evacuated from their homes in the latest, nearly year-long flare-up in hostilities. After the first wave of pager explosions on Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed to return those people to their homes.
"Why did it take so long to take significant action against Hezbollah?" asked Ruth Wasserman Lande, a former member of the Knesset with the centrist Blue and White Party.
"There's been a lot of criticism about not retaliating for eleven months. Mayors of cities in the north and the civilians have been critical, feeling neglected by the government," she added in an interview with Newsweek.
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Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that they might increase operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying they must stop the exchange of fire to allow people to return to homes near the border.
But the Israelis have also been hesitant to launch a full-scale invasion along the northern border under what is said to be enormous pressure from the U.S. to hold off during an election season.
To that end, Netanyahu has been blamed from both the center and right of the Israeli political spectrum for the limited response against Hezbollah. They argue that Netanyahu had been "too political" and chose the most cautious of the military options presented to him to defend against rocket and other attacks launched by the Lebanese militant group.
This discontent is apparent in public opinion. A late-August poll conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based think tank, found that a full two-thirds of respondents believed Israel should intensify its military response to Hezbollah. Among them, 46 percent supported launching a broad offensive targeting Lebanese infrastructure, while 21 percent advocate for an approach that would avoid hitting Hezbollah's infrastructure directly.
"Farmers, business owners—they've lost everything. The bombardments continued, and it seemed like the government was doing nothing. That's the source of the criticism. No sovereign country would allow this to happen without retaliating," said Wasserman Laude.
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When asked if the operation would affect Netanyahu or his fragile political coalition, Wasserman acknowledged that Israelis are split over Netanyahu's conduct and leadership during the war. But there was also broad agreement that a strong response on the northern border was needed, she said, adding that at the end of the day, defense and security matter more to Israelis than Netanyahu's political fortunes.
"Security should transcend politics, but it doesn't always. Even those critical of Netanyahu understand that this is a life-and-death situation for Israel. Israelis have been murdered, slaughtered, burned, and mutilated. We live it, we feel it, and we know it—it's close to home for all of us," she said.
As Netanyahu huddled with top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the country's army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against Hezbollah. The latest reports in Israeli media suggest the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is expected to deliver a major speech on Thursday.
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