Extracts: The escalation highlights another US failure, this time of diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict spreading
The US has continued to provide weapons and diplomatic protection for Israel while trying to convince Israel's enemies to show restraint even as global outrage grew about Israel's conduct in Gaza
The latest Israeli attacks have killed hundreds of people, including civilians and caused another mass displacement of Lebanese, battering a country that was already critically weakened by economic collapse and political dysfunction
One hopeful possibility may be that Israel has opted for these strikes in preference to a ground invasion which could have an even worse impact and longer-term consequences
However unless Hezbollah has been critically weakened, the attacks may not achieve what Israel wants
Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre told the ABC Australia
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"Israel will fail I think, in achieving its goal for one simple reason—
If Hezbollah agrees to Israel's conditions it will have to face the wrath of its own base because the question will be if you were willing to do this, why didn't you do it earlier on rather than inflicting all the pain?"
