ceejayoz 3 days ago

A missile is a demonstration of military force. Everyone in the region knows Israel is capable of blowing up a building.

This is a "we've got you hopelessly compromised as an organization" sort of demonstration that's far more humiliating.

For a similar example, see the US response to 9/11 - two decades of war, taking shoes off at airports, etc. - versus the US response to COVID, which killed a 9/11 worth every couple of days, but resulted in a "but I don't wanna wear a mask" response.

Reply View 8 replies
  • s1artibartfast 3 days ago

    [flagged]

    Reply View 7 replies
    • ceejayoz 3 days ago

      > It's easy to sit online and make bold and vague claims like there will be armed escalation in retaliation.

      I mean, that's the pretty standard response in this conflict. Permanent tit-for-tat, back-and-forth, for decades/millennia depending on how broadly you count things. For a concrete example, Iran's April strikes.

      > What do you think constitutes a major escalation?

      Terror attacks on Israeli assets abroad - I'd be keeping embassies/consulates on alert - and rocket strikes against Israel. At least enough to try to save face, although the Iranian strikes offer a "good luck" for that.

      > I would happily bet against a ground invasion.

      By Hezbollah? Well, yeah.

      Reply View 6 replies