Israel’s strikes and incursions show that Netanyahu is a reliable US partner

• Israel has launched a “limited” ground offensive in Lebanon after killing a top Hezbollah leader in airstrikes.
• The attacks came just days after the US called for a 21-day ceasefire on September 25.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be coerced by the US, foreign policy experts said.

The Israel Defense Forces, in a statement, confirmed that they had launched a “limited, localized and targeted” ground offensive in Lebanon early Tuesday morning local time, targeting the Iran-backed militant organization Hezbollah, after exchanging strikes back and forth. with the group for almost a year.

The ground offensive came after a series of airstrikes on September 27 that killed longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, a major victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

That Israel led the operation just days after the US called for a 21-day ceasefire on September 25, however, only reinforces that Israel has its own interests, and a now emboldened Netanyahu will not have it easy detained by the US. , which has so far failed to calm the situation since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas, foreign policy experts told Business Insider.

The US, a key Israeli ally and mediator in peace talks, has so far failed to negotiate a ceasefire, negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas or reign in civilian deaths in Israel’s fight in Gaza.

And despite increased international pressure for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah following a series of deadly pager blasts in Lebanon earlier this month, Israel has launched airstrikes and now what it calls a “limited” ground invasion.

Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser who served for more than 20 years in Israel’s security establishment, told BI that while Nasrallah’s death was seen as a major achievement for Israel and the US, the strike ” it also reinforces the long-standing dislike of Netanyahu. and the belief that it is not a reliable partner for the US”.

Freilich, now a political science professor at Columbia University, noted that the relationship between Israel and the U.S. has been strained before — recalling a 2014 incident in which an official in then-President Barack Obama’s administration was quoted as naming Netanyahu “chicken shit”.

Benjamin Radd, a researcher at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development, told BI that President Joe Biden’s lame-duck status could influence Netanyahu’s decision-making.

“I think we have a situation where the Israeli prime minister is finding a window to operate with, where internationally — or at least here in the U.S. — they seem to be number one, distractions, and number two, a candidate whose positions policy decisions Israel’s foreign policies could be more favorable to the prime minister,” Radd said, referring to a potential victory for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.

Netanyahu, Radd said, appears to be seizing the opportunity for escalation in a way he might not have if Biden had not left office.

Sean McFate, a national security and foreign policy expert at Syracuse University, told BI that the airstrike is a “major escalation” of the conflict and that Israel is not a “puppet” for the US that will easily bow to foreign demands .

“I think it’s hubris to think that America can just pull a leash and Bibi does what we want,” McFate said of Netanyahu using the nickname. Israel scored a major victory by removing Nasrallah, McFate said — a move Biden acknowledged as a “measure of justice” in the same statement. in which he called for diplomacy in Gaza and Lebanon.

He added that the prime minister may consider the US an unreliable partner.

In May, Reuters reported that the Biden administration had halted an arms shipment to Israel to counter an apparent move to launch an offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.

“We promised weapons, we’re not delivering them on time,” McFate said of Netanyahu’s possible thinking. Finally, Israel continued with its military plans in Rafah.

The killing of a top Hezbollah leader and subsequent ground invasion complicates the already murky path to de-escalation.

Netanyahu, who is in a difficult position politically as he faces corruption charges (he denies wrongdoing) and has yet to secure the remaining hostages held by Hamas since last October, may now be even more emboldened , McFate said.

“The question is, what happens next? Does Israel escalate? Does Hezbollah escalate? Does Iran escalate?” McFate added. “We are at our most volatile moment since October 7.”

Representatives for the State Department and the Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.