Hillel Neuer’s appearance on NewsNation with Adrienne Bankert to discuss Israel’s recent pinpoint counterterrorism operation against Hezbollah’s terror mastermind Hassan Nasrallah.
Adrienne Bankert, NewsNation: Iran, as we know well, backs Hezbollah. They said the deaths will, quote, “not go unavenged.” So here’s the question, what happens now there’s been that talk of a potential ground invasion? We know that the U.S. State Department has urged Americans to leave Lebanon due to the unpredictable nature of this ongoing conflict right now.
Foreign policy expert and human rights advocate Hillel Neuer is here with me right now. Thank you so much for joining us and making the time. So we know this was a huge blow by Israel after an incessant amount of airstrikes has pummeled them, hitting mostly the Iron Dome. But those few rockets that were able to hit central Israel, was that the straw that broke the camel’s back for Netanyahu?
Hillel Neuer: Well, I don’t think so. I think the straw that broke the camel’s back is that on October 8th, a day after Hamas perpetrated a massacre, killing families and 1,200 Israelis by invading Israel in the most sadistic and horrific way, one day later, Hezbollah in the north, from Lebanon, completely unprovoked, began to assault Israel and didn’t stop until today. In the past 11 months, the Hezbollah terrorist group, backed as you said, by Iran, fully funded and armed by Iran, has fired 9,500 rockets, missiles and suicide drones at Israelis, causing 70,000 people to be expelled from their homes and to be refugees within Israel.
So, the cause was and is Hezbollah’s war against Israel. Israel acted with restraint the past several months and was waiting for the right moment to strike back, and strike back they did. Within the span of 11 days, you had an unprecedented, pinpoint counterterrorism strike, perhaps the most extraordinary in military history, where 1000s of pagers that were distributed to Hezbollah commanders suddenly blew up. Then you had the strikes against Hezbollah’s leading terrorists. Finally, on Friday, the incredible elimination of the terror mastermind, Hassan Nasrallah.
You have to understand, Hassan Nasrallah is not just anyone. He’s kind of the bin Laden on steroids for the jihadis across the Middle East, for the Iranians and their backers in Syria, the Bashar al-Assad regime, and the devotees within Lebanon. And he’s also an enemy, even for people who don’t like Israel. Throughout Syria, in Idlib, they were celebrating because Nasrallah helped Bashar al-Assad kill some half a million people with the most brutal methods. Iranians, both in Iran itself and abroad, are celebrating. Syrians are celebrating. Druze are celebrating. Lebanese Christians are celebrating. Lebanese Sunnis are celebrating. And of course, Jews and Israelis are celebrating.
The elimination of Nasrallah on Friday is a momentous, historic act. He was considered almost like a messiah like figure—a key bridge between the Islamic regime in Iran and the Arab world—and he’s gone. So this is a game changer.
Adrienne Bankert, NewsNation: And do you think that that will literally obliterate the morale of these Hezbollah militants who now have literally no commanders, in a sense, because of Israel’s warfare?
Hillel Neuer: Look again, there’s no way to underestimate the devastating blow to morale of the jihadis who belong to the Shiite stream by the death of Nasrallah. He was this charismatic figure for decades. He gave speeches. In fact, he was telling his pay masters how to go about fighting the war. So, he told the Iranians how best to help Bashar al-Assad maintain his genocidal war against his own people. He advised the Iranians how to set up similar terror prophecies in Iraq and in Yemen, which, by the way, just yesterday, fired yet another missile at Israel, and today, the Israelis finally struck back.
So Nasrallah was a linchpin, and I think his elimination is a devastating blow. You can see the reactions. There was a young man, a devotee of Hezbollah, who said, “life isn’t worth living anymore.” But make no mistake, Hezbollah still has thousands of missiles. They still have thousands of terrorists who are willing to invade Israel. So, for this war to end, either Israel is going to have to do a ground operation at some point, or the international community is going to have to finally wake up. They’ve been silent for 11 months.
You know, the past week we saw the French president saying, “woe onto Lebanon.” And the U.N. Chief António Guterres saying, “we need de-escalation.” Guess what? Lebanon has been firing 9,500 missiles, rockets, suicide drones, at Israelis for 11 months. They didn’t say a thing. So, for the for war to end, Hezbollah really needs to be disarmed and moved away from the border at least about 20 miles north of Israel’s border so that Israel, a sovereign country, can allow its citizens to go back to a large part of northern Israel, which has been emptied because of the terrorism. That’s the way this war ends.
Adrienne Bankert, NewsNation: Hillel, I’d love to talk with you some more about the focus that has been placed on these refugees, or potential refugees, as people flee to Syria, and also to the fact that this is very similar in terms of eliminating a terror threat in another country for Israel, but we’re out of time. I hope to have you back again soon. Thank you, Hillel.
Hillel Neuer: Thank you.
