© Anadolu Agency/GettyPoor planning and a nine-month long campaign of genocide in Gaza have left the Israeli army depleted and unprepared to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon
According to David's report on Hebrew Maariv, more than 500 armored vehicles have been damaged by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza over the past nine months, and the Israeli army has consumed a much larger volume of ammunition than estimated in all of its war plans.
Comment: And the West won't be much help having given much of theirs to the failing proxy war in Ukraine.
David claims that the depletion of Israel's arsenal is one of the reasons why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently accused the US of "withholding" arms shipments, using this as "an excuse ... for the reason that he does not initiate a campaign in Lebanon."
Furthermore, Israeli troops have been widely affected by the long campaign of genocide in Gaza, as all operational plans from 7 October "were for a war of a few weeks." David reveals that at least 666 Israeli soldiers have been killed, nearly 4,000 have been injured, and over 11,000 "required mental treatment since the beginning of the war."
Comment: The numbers are likely to be much higher: 8,663 of IDF soldiers registered disabled since 7 October, Israeli outlets report
"They are still motivated, fully understand the importance of the goal, but they are tired, physically and mentally ... If we call them to occupy southern Lebanon - they will be there, but they will not be at their best," the Israeli journalist writes.
"If a broad war with Hezbollah is imposed on us, the [Israeli army] will fight with what it has, and it will hurt the enemy ... [but the army] is currently unable to bring about a significant achievement against Hezbollah and dramatically change the reality in the north," the David highlights elsewhere in his report, adding that the war on Lebanese soil being sought by Israeli authorities "will end in a bad settlement that will be achieved at a painful price."
"Never, throughout its 76 years, has the [army] been built for a nine-month war. Instead [it] was built as a shock army, which mobilizes the reserves at the moment of command, goes out decisively in a short time, and returns to normal," the Israeli journalist details.
Comment: It has also been highlighted that the overall mental and physical fitness of recruits has never been worse, an issue the US is also seriously struggling with.
He also reveals that a senior air force reserve officer "well versed in the war plans" recently sent a letter to army authorities "imploring" them to "make it clear to the political echelon that the [army] is not prepared for a prolonged campaign in Lebanon."
"Starting a campaign in Lebanon now ... will lead us to a greater strategic disaster than [7 October]," the air force officer reportedly warned.
Comment: And it's not just the army itself that they have to consider: Israel's ex-PM Bennett urges Israelis not to leave country
The Maariv report coincides with the return of Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant from the US capital, where he reportedly informed Pentagon leaders that "Israel is not looking for war [with Lebanon] - but for settlement, if possible."
According to Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Gallant said this during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday night, which included Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, among other officials.
"I told the Americans that we are not the ones who want a war in the north, and if we reach an agreement that keeps [Hezbollah] away from the border, that is acceptable," Gallant said at the meeting.
In response to this, Jewish supremacist Ben Gvir rejected his comments, saying: "We will win, and then there will be no one to make an arrangement with, and it's a good thing."
For his part, the Israeli premier agreed with Gallant and stressed that any agreement to end the fighting at the Lebanese border needs to "allow the return of the residents to the north."
Following Gallant's visit to Washington, western diplomatic sources who spoke with Lebanon's Ad-Diyar newspaper said US officials felt the Israeli war chief had no "serious desire" to spark an all-out war with Lebanon.
"Despite the public threats, the majority of which are for consumption and are targeted at the Israeli interior, there was consensus with the US officials that although the situation is unbearable on the northern front, and although the war's goals are legitimate from an Israeli viewpoint, there is no ability to achieve them without triggering a regional confrontation, not to mention the strategic damages that will affect Israel," the report states.
Comment: Perhaps that's one more reason why, whilst there's been an awful lot of rhetoric from Israel's pathocrats about invading Lebanon, nothing of significance has yet to occur?
That said, even though reality is stacked against them, there's no reason to believe that the West-Israel will be giving up their world war plans anytime soon: