Guest essay by Jung E-gil, The Multiplural World, Oct 18, 2024
(Jung E-gi is a columnist and senior international affairs writer for The Hankyoreh (S. Korea daily newspaper), where this column first appeared on October 18, 2024. Further below is recommended, related readings.)
In South Korea, myths about Israel still persist, framing the country as a ‘righteous and powerful David’ standing up against the ‘corrupt giant Goliath’
During my school years, stories about how Israeli citizens return home to fight when war breaks out, even from abroad, while citizens of Arab countries flee were drilled into my head. However, the “righteous” part of the “righteous and powerful David” myth has lost much of its weight. The fact that Israel was founded by displacing Palestinians and it continues to this day to drive them into the jaws of death can no longer be ignored, even in South Korea.
Still, the “powerful” part of the myth endures. With Israel consistently winning wars against neighboring countries with much larger populations, many South Koreans are left in awe and argue that South Korea should follow Israel’s example.
Israel’s air defense system is one of the most frequently praised aspects of the country. As a journalist who has covered international issues for quite some time, I’ve seen the same kinds of reports surface during every Israeli conflict. These articles highlight Israel’s multi-layered air defense system, including the Iron Dome, which is hailed as an impenetrable shield. The ongoing war in Gaza has been no exception. However, the reality is that Israel’s air defense system has been seriously breached this time.
Thousands of rockets were launched simultaneously during Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7 last year, overwhelming Israel’s defense system and triggering the current war in Gaza,. The system was also compromised during an Iranian missile and drone attack in April this year. Despite Iran notifying neighboring countries of the attack in advance and joint efforts by US and Jordanian forces to intercept the missiles, several still landed near Israeli military bases. On Oct. 1, Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles without prior notice, and at least 32 missiles struck Israeli military installations and other targets. Israel claimed to have intercepted all of them and reported no damage, but this was untrue.
Even a crucial hangar housing F-35 stealth fighters at Israel’s Nevatim Airbase was destroyed, while the area near the headquarters of the famous Mossad came under missile attack. Despite the involvement of US forces in interception efforts, Israel still sustained these damages. On Saturday, October 13, Hezbollah attacked the region around Haifa with low-performance drones, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring 60 others. [See report here in Al Jazeera.] Whether Israel’s air defense system can withstand future retaliation should Iran strike back after Israel’s inevitable counterattacks remains uncertain.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly informed U.S. President Joe Biden during a phone call that Israel plans to retaliate against Iranian military facilities. This follows Israel’s previous threats to attack Iran’s nuclear power and oil facilities. The U.S. also announced it would provide Israel with a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. These measures reflect Washington’s concern that it cannot guarantee Israel’s security should it retaliate against Iran.
The ground war is no different. Hezbollah’s ground offensive, which began in October, has reached an impasse in southern Lebanon. Before this, Israel had conducted large-scale bombings and airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Beirut, turning the region into a second Gaza, displacing more than one million Lebanese citizens — one in six of the population — and killing 1,200 civilians. Subsequently, Hezbollah launched a ground assault in southern Lebanon, and in the first engagement, eight Israeli soldiers were killed. Hezbollah continues to bombard northern Israel daily with rockets and drones.
From the get-go, military experts warned that Israel would not be able to eliminate Hezbollah’s attack capabilities, while Hezbollah was simply waiting for Israeli troops to cross the border into Lebanon.
Israel has told the U.S. that it will put an end to its ground offensive in Lebanon in the coming weeks. Whether that will be true remains to be seen, but what is clear as day is that Israel cannot achieve its goals of eradicating Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and allowing residents of northern Israel to return home safely.
Following Israel’s inception, its military lived by the credo of fighting short-term battles in enemy territory to pull out decisive victories. This myth was shattered after Israel invaded Lebanon for the first time in 1978. Again in 1982 and 2006, the wars in Lebanon only dragged on with no decisive victories or tangible achievements. Even the Israeli government inquiry called the 2006 war a strategic failure.
Israel has dragged out its war in Gaza for over a year now and finds itself fighting on several fronts. It has gone so far as even to attack UN peacekeepers. Ultimately, the conflict in the Middle East must be resolved politically. But Israel continues to rely solely on its military might because it has no viable political solutions to offer. And above all else, it is escalating the conflict into a wider war to allow the far-right Netanyahu government to maintain its grip on power.
There is no winning this war in such a manner. Sure, one may win battles, but the war will certainly be forfeit. From the looks of the criticism that the international community is launching at Israel, it is already losing the war.
Related readings:
Netanyahu has gravely miscalculated with its invasion of Lebanon, by Tom Fowdy, in Al Mayadeen English, Oct 17, 2024 (Tom Fowdy is a British journalist and political analyst with a specialist focus on Asia topics. He resides in South Korea.)
The ghosts of 1982, the year of Israel’s seige of Beirut and carpet bombing of Palestinian refugee camps, by Stephen Pascoe, published in the Australian journal Pearls And Irritation, Oct 19, 2024 (Stephen Pascoe is a lecturer in Middle East history at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.)
Bombings, killer drones and starvation: Eyewitnesses describe Israel’s extermination campaign in northern Gaza, by Qassam Muaddi, in Mondoweiss, Oct 17, 2024 Testimonies from the brutal siege on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza describe massive air and ground assaults, including killer quadcopter drones, that are destroying infrastructure and causing catastrophic humanitarian conditions
