Hezbollah and Hamas are too weak to fight, says Israel army chief

The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Gadi Eisenkot, believes that Hezbollah and Hamas are too weak to launch a military offensive against Israel.

Eisenkot downplayed the chances for a fresh war with either group in the near future saying they were both uninterested in a new conflict and, in the Lebanese group’s case, demoralised as well.

Speaking at a closed-door meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Eisenkot said that despite having gained battlefield experience as a result of its military interventions in Syria on behalf of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, Hezbollah has been left significantly weakened.

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The Times of Israel reported Eisenkot telling the Defence Committee that “Hezbollah’s [military] operations in Syria have brought about a morale and financial crisis within its ranks.”

Eisenkot’s comments regarding Hezbollah’s intentions appear to be in response to a number of statements made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the past week, which included a threat that the group will not abide by any “red lines” in a future war with Israel.

Nasrallah also threatened to strike the nuclear facility in the southern Israeli city of Dimona during a speech last week.

Read: Israeli jets attacked Hezbollah targets in Syria, reports

During yesterday’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee session, Eisenkot also addressed the threat posed by Hamas on Israel’s southern border, saying he does not believe it has any “willingness” to launch an offensive against Israel at the current time.

Hamas and Hezbollah have weathered numerous Israeli military assaults over the years. Israel’s past three assaults on Gaza in under a decade and its offensive in Lebanon in 2006 are amongst a list of failed attempts by Israel to destroy and dismantle the two organisations.