Israel's strategy of drawing the United States into the conflict appears to be paying off as Lebanese militant group Hezbollah joins the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, analysts say. Israel is seeking to use this as a decisive opportunity to fully neutralize its longtime adversary Hezbollah with American support. However, critics within the U.S. point out that Washington, which does not want a prolonged war lasting more than four to five weeks, has different interests from Israel.
According to the New York Times and other outlets on the 3rd (local time), the intensity of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is escalating. After Hezbollah, Iran's largest proxy force, launched rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel expanded airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's weapons storage facilities and command centers. Hezbollah also announced it had launched squadrons of attack drones toward Israel.
However, Israel appears to have anticipated this situation to some extent. According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel had been preparing large-scale military operations against Hezbollah ahead of any confrontation with Iran. This means Israel had established the groundwork to counterattack immediately once Hezbollah provided justification by acting first.
Hezbollah is the Middle East's largest pro-Iranian armed organization, operating from its base in southern Lebanon. Israel has long regarded Hezbollah as a constant security threat. Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israel and Hezbollah, which had been supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, engaged in localized clashes before agreeing to a ceasefire in November 2024. The WSJ analyzed that "Israel had assessed that Hezbollah was rebuilding its forces and would eventually attack, and this incident provided justification for a powerful response."
Experts believe Hezbollah's entry into the war could backfire severely. Analysis suggests the group is not sufficiently prepared for full-scale conflict after its capabilities were weakened by Israeli offensives in recent years.
American public opinion, however, differs. The U.S. faces criticism for initiating war despite no "imminent threat" from Iran. The controversy is expected to grow after U.S. government and ruling party officials stated on the same day that they "acted because of Israel's attack plans." According to the NYT, the biggest driving force behind Trump's "decision for war" was persistent persuasion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. War opponents argue this means the U.S. was dragged into war involuntarily, led by Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio countered, saying, "We knew there would be Israeli military action. We knew that would trigger an attack on the United States, and if we did not respond preemptively before they launched their attack, there would have been more casualties."