Why Israel can’t just ‘cut the head off’ of Hamas or Hezbollah

Israel’s scorched-earth approach in Gaza will serve as a recruiting tool for Hamas as it seeks to enlist the next wave of Palestinians, many of whom will be radicalised by the war and its aftermath. — Reuters

OVER the course of 15 months, Israel has been at war in the Middle East. The conflict has stretched across borders, spanning Gaza to Lebanon to Iran.

A dramatic Israeli intelligence operation in mid-September involved exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, resulting in the death of more than a dozen Hezbollah foot soldiers, with thousands of other people in Lebanon injured or maimed.