Gideon Levy: Israeli Journalist and Analyst on Middle East close to war after Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader

The Middle East is on edge after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel claims to have killed 30 top Hezbollah leaders and despite pressure from the United States to de-escalate the situation, Netanyahu says Israel is at a historic turning point.

Israeli journalist and analyst Gideon Levy tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the region is very close to war.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Over the weekend, Israel managed to kill his Bolla's lead
in Hassanzrala, and overnight the Idea also claimed to have
killed another senior figure in the group. This leaves the
Middle East on the brink of war and back with us.
As journalist and analyst Gideon Levy, Hey, Gideon, how close
to war? Are We?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Very close? But it might still be prevented. But it
seems that we are very close.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
How could it be prevented?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
My international pressure and by hoping that is Bala and
Iran will not retaliate. If they will as well, you
go for ground operation and then it's in your game.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Does even if I mean obviously Hiszbolah wants revenge, but
does it actually have the ability right now, given the
fact that it's being pummeled by Israel, Does it actually
have the ability to regroup and do something?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
The experts say that yes, they were over one hundred
fighters and it's only about their commands who were assassinated,
and the capabilities are still there and some of the
weapons are still there. The expert, I'm not an expert
for Risbalaho for their arms, but the experts say that

(01:14):
they still have the capability. Yes, they have to recover
from the first choke, and then they might retaliate.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Does Israel want to pull back or has Israel got
an endgame here that requires it to keep going.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I'm afraid that Israel as an endgame of entering into
Lebanon and conquering the south part those kilometers between Israel
and the Litani River and take over. I'm very afraid
that this is the purpose, because by the end of

(01:49):
the day, Israel claims that it wants to return it's
sixty thousand citizens who were displaced from the homes because
of the danger. I believe that by war they can
eliminate the danger.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
If Iran does something, what does it do?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh, that's really a new game. I don't By the way,
I don't think Iran will do something directly, because Iran
is quite scared from the United States, and Iran seems
to have not only a new prime minister, but also
a new direction, namely not to get too much involved

(02:32):
directly because of the economy and because of other reasons.
They want to reconcile with the West in a way,
and the war is as well will destroy everything. I
don't see them getting into a war is as well,
because then the United States is in the picture, and

(02:52):
I guess they are rational enough to understand that this
might be too big price to pay.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
It's good to talk to you, mate, Thanks for your analysis.
Its gidding In Levy, Israel and Israeli journalist and analyst.
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