Orientalist Aviram Blaish has analyzed Hezbollah’s behavior and response to recent failures, highlighting the desire inherent in Muslim culture to exact revenge and cover up its own shame.
In an article published on the website of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), he notes that Hezbollah’s actions over the past month clearly illustrate this observation.
Blaish explains that in the Western value system, those responsible must apologize and be punished. However, when analyzing Hezbollah’s behavior after the failure of its planned massive attack on Israel, he emphasizes that things are different in Muslim culture. The reaction to failure is not to admit mistakes, but to lie and try to hide the real situation.
The researcher recalls that 12 children were killed during a rocket attack launched by Hezbollah in Majdal Shams. In response, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, made a speech blaming Israel for the tragedy. However, this statement was immediately perceived as a lie, as the cause of the tragedy was considered a failed attack initiated by Hezbollah itself. The report of the United Nations Forces in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the evidence provided by Israel confirmed that Hezbollah was responsible for what happened, and Nasrallah’s words were just an attempt to cover up the failure.
Analyzing Hezbollah’s subsequent failure to plan a massive attack on Israel, Blaish also points to the blatant lies in Nasrallah’s statements. The Hezbollah leader claimed that the militants’ drones hit the Israeli military intelligence base 8200 near the Glilot intersection. However, this claim was so far from the truth that even Nasrallah’s supporters did not take it seriously. Blaish emphasizes that this deception damaged the reputation of Nasrallah, who during the Second Lebanon War managed to establish an image of someone who tells the truth.
The article further notes that a plan for a large-scale attack on Israel with the participation of all Iranian representatives was published on a telegram channel associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This plan included attacks on decision-making centers and important infrastructure. However, faced with a possible US-backed Israeli response, Iran abandoned the idea, blaming the attack on Hezbollah, which was unable to successfully carry out the task.
Blaish notes that Iran responded quickly to its proxy’s failure, but its response was unsuccessful, leading to even greater misfortune. Iran tried to present the attack as a success, claiming that a Hezbollah missile hit an Israeli gunship and killed the soldier. However, in reality the tragedy occurred due to the untimely explosion of an Israeli rocket. In addition, Hezbollah tried to pass off the launch of a drone, which was shot down by Israeli air defense, as a successful operation.
The situation was complicated by the fact that Iranian officials began to talk about a new, allegedly planned, attack on Israel, but Nasrallah did not mention anything about it in his speeches. As a result, conflicting reports about an Israeli preemptive strike against Hezbollah began to appear in the Iranian media.
Blaish stresses that Iran and Hezbollah’s attempts to pass off their failures as victories have sparked a wave of criticism and ridicule in both Lebanon and Iran. Society expressed distrust towards their leaders, which dealt a severe blow to the reputation of these organizations. Support for Hezbollah in the Shiite areas of Beirut was also seen as part of propaganda that failed to convince the general public.
Finally, Blaish points out that Iran and Hezbollah followed a predetermined attack plan that included the use of missiles and drones. However, the attempt to cover up the failure led to an even greater crisis of confidence. In his view, Iran can take a breather and continue preparing for revenge, but for now it is clear that the failures have led to a vicious circle of lies and shame, which has only made their situation worse.
Previously, Kursor reported that Israel is threatened by several other terrorist organizations besides Hezbollah.
