Israel 'De-escalates' by Killing Top Hezbollah Commander
Hezbollah is mourning Haytham Ali Tabatabai, its most senior commander killed by Israel since a 'ceasefire' that began in November 2024. Just days after the international community breathed a collective sigh of relief over a supposed de-escalation, Israel performs an assassination in Beirut. This is the same playbook Netanyahu's government has followed time and again—like the 2006 Lebanon War,
which began with cross-border raids and escalated rapidly. Al-Monitor notes the US is pressing Lebanon 'to disarm Hezbollah' even as Israel escalates attacks. One might wonder how disarming a defensive force is meant to deter further incursions. It appears 'peace' to some means one side unilaterally disarming while the other continues its military operations unabated. How many times must this
cycle repeat for critical observers to see the pattern?