Israel eliminated Hamas commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza, one of the figures involved in planning the October 7 massacre. It was an important, justified and impressive assassination, and the IDF, the Shin Bet and everyone involved in the operation deserve significant praise. The State of Israel must continue pursuing those responsible for the worst massacre in its history.
But while Israel marks achievements in Gaza, soldiers in the north are facing a dangerous and rapidly changing reality every day.
In Lebanon, the main threat is no longer just anti-tank missiles or rocket fire. This is the age of FPV drones. More and more IDF soldiers are being wounded by fiber-optic drones operated by Hezbollah against Israeli forces.
These drones are nearly impossible to jam using conventional systems because they are physically connected to the operator by a thin cable. There is no signal to block and no system that can simply shut them down.
Hezbollah adopted the tactic from the war in Ukraine, where one lesson became painfully clear: long wars of attrition give the enemy time to study you, improve and make every additional day on the battlefield more dangerous.
That is exactly why military theorist Carl von Clausewitz argued that wars should end with a swift and decisive outcome. Thousands of years earlier, Sun Tzu warned that no nation benefits from a prolonged war. When a stronger country hesitates, a smaller and more ruthless enemy learns to turn attrition itself into a weapon.
Israel now finds itself at that moment.
Everyone understands that Iran is the larger threat, and dramatic developments involving Tehran may unfold in the coming days. But that is exactly why the Lebanese front cannot be allowed to drift into another endless conflict without a clear resolution. IDF soldiers must not feel that leaders are hesitating to act decisively in the north simply because all eyes are on Iran.
Trust is the foundation of military strength. Soldiers sent repeatedly into Lebanon must know there is a clear objective and determination to achieve it.
Reservists cannot once again be asked to leave behind families, children, businesses and jobs without believing the state genuinely intends to change the reality on the ground rather than simply manage another round of fighting. That burden is already being felt across the military.
After months of war, the IDF is stretched to its limits. There are manpower shortages, growing exhaustion in the reserve forces and only so much pressure the same people can continue carrying.
What is needed now is a clear strategic decision: no more containment, no more limited responses and no more dragging things out.
Israel must defeat Hezbollah, severely damage its rocket and drone capabilities, push it away from the border and create a new reality that allows residents of the north to return to lives of security and stability.
The real question is no longer what the IDF can do, but what the political leadership is willing to decide. The capability exists. The soldiers’ courage exists. Public resolve exists as well. What is missing right now is clarity.
In the Middle East, there is no vacuum. When Israel fails to act decisively, its enemies interpret it as weakness. And when a strong country projects hesitation, the enemy does not disappear — it grows stronger and moves closer.