Netanyahu wants to ‘pull the Americans indirectly’ in case of regional conflict: Analysis
Israeli wants to claw back some of the deterrents that it has lost and recalibrate the shift in the balance of power in the region back towards itself, according to Daniel Levy, president of the US/Middle East Project.
“If it can do that without full-blown war, that would be the preference because for Netanyahu, the dangers of full-blown war are significant, including that they can turn to a real push to de-escalate and lead to a ceasefire while Netanyahu wants an open-ended war, especially in Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera.
According to Levy, if there is a major escalation, then the key for the Israeli prime minister would be “to pull the Americans in directly”.
Levy said the Iran-led “axis of resistance” is trying not to “fall into this trap” while maintaining its credibility by using “relatively calibrated responses”. He said this was evident in Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s emphasis that the group is targeting military installations even as Israel kills civilians in Lebanon and Gaza.
“This further sends the message to the rest of the region that it is Israel that is ready to destroy everything,” he said, adding that the axis is allowing Israel – as the superior military power – to make the mistakes and also suffer an economic downturn.
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