By Aigbogie Ruth
25/06/2024
Front-page News
Joint Chiefs of Staff head Charles Q. Brown warned on Monday that the US may not be able to help defend ‘Israel’ against an all-out war with Hezbollah in the same way that it stepped in during the Iran drone attack in April. The Air Force General warned that a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah would likely involve Iran, making it more complex.
Brown said Iran is firm in its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and would likely help the group,“particularly if they felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened.”
The chairman also raised the issue of the safety of U.S. service members deployed in the Middle East. He noted that no U.S. military bases have been attacked since February. “Any Israeli military offensive into Lebanon could risk triggering a broader war, putting US forces in danger.”
While the U.S. helped Israel down several missiles from Iran in April, that attack involved ballistic missiles and drones covering a much larger distance, with more time to acquire targeting data and intercept the incoming threats. However, a war with Hezbollah would involve the firing of shorter-range ballistic missiles with a flight time measured in seconds.
“It is harder to intercept and fend off the shorter-range rockets that Hezbollah fires across the border into‘Israel.
His comments were made during a trip to Botswana for a meeting of African defense ministers.
“Israeli leaders must think about the second order of effect of any type of operation into Lebanon, and how that might play out and how it impacts not just the region, but how it impacts our forces in regions as well,” Brown stated.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while he hoped for a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Hezbollah, Israel would be ready to use force.
“We can fight on several fronts, and we are also preparing for that,” Netanyahu stated.
However, the prime minister said Israel is open to an agreement to diffuse the situation with Hezbollah, insisting that“it must be on our terms.”
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