Jake Wallis Simons Jake Wallis Simons

Why should Israel tolerate Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attacks?

Portraits of the children killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on Israel (Getty)

The slaughter of a dozen child footballers on Sunday came as a startling sign that the situation in northern Israel cannot continue. Since October 7, thousands of Hezbollah rockets have rained down on the Jewish state, claiming many lives and causing 70,000 people to flee their homes.

There comes a point where the only option is war. According to UN Resolution 1701, issued in 2006, Hezbollah forces must not stray south of the Litani river, about 18 miles from the Israeli border. They have violated that ruling for years, with no real punishment from the UN or anybody else. On a trip to the region before October 7, I saw them moving through the territory with my own eyes, carrying out surveillance. After October 7, families on the Israeli side of the fence can no longer be expected to live like that.

Yet the international response to the latest unprovoked atrocity was drearily predictable.

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