In the Middle Eastern geopolitics, where everyone seems to be holding a grudge or a missile, Israel is currently engaged in a very personal vendetta. It’s like an epic drama, only with fewer pigeons and more surface-to-air missiles. The plot twist of the moment? The assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the elusive leader of Hezbollah, which is being treated like Israel just hit the winning run in the Super Over of a never-ending cricket match. Israel’s relief, however, comes with a side of nerves. Because when you knock over a hornet’s nest, you’re bound to get stung — and Hezbollah’s hive, fueled by Iranian honey, is buzzing louder than ever.
Nasrallah, of course, wasn’t just some random militia guy. He was the kind of character that legends are made of. Picture a Bangladeshi political leader mixed with a military strategist, wrapped up in enough charisma to rival any Dhallywood hero. For years, Nasrallah had managed to evade Israeli assassination attempts like a nimble kabaddi player dodging grabs. His knack for disappearing into the shadows was so good that it almost became mythical. Some said he was underground. Others, that he was hiding in plain sight. Regardless, he had been the face — or more accurately, the voice, since no one actually saw him much — of Hezbollah’s resistance against Israel. It wasn’t just a cat-and-mouse game; it was more like a hide-and-seek played out with drones and rockets.
But then came September 2024. After years of near-misses and cloak-and-dagger operations, Israel finally got its man. A swift, surgical airstrike — the kind the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are famous for — and Nasrallah was no more. The Israelis surely had a moment of fist-pumping triumph, but they weren’t exactly popping open the champagne (or whatever the kosher equivalent is). Because while the head of Hezbollah was now officially removed from the picture, everyone knew that cutting off the head doesn’t necessarily kill the body. In fact, in the convoluted world of Middle Eastern power plays, it might just make the body angrier.
Israel’s obsession with Hezbollah isn’t just about a personal grudge. It’s more like that endless family feud where nobody quite remembers how it started, but everyone’s invested in making sure it doesn’t end peacefully. Ever since Hezbollah chased Israeli forces out of Lebanon in 2000, Israel has been keeping a close eye on the group, much like your nosy aunt who monitors every family scandal. And Hezbollah, far from being a small-time local gang, has morphed into a serious regional player — heavily armed, well-trained, and with a direct hotline to Tehran.
Ah, Iran. If Israel and Hezbollah are the star-crossed enemies of this geopolitical drama, then Iran is the puppet master pulling the strings from the shadows. Hezbollah is Iran’s prized proxy in the region, their way of keeping Israel’s attention firmly fixed on its northern borders. Tehran’s influence over Hezbollah is like that of a rich, distant relative funding a wayward cousin’s mischief. It’s no secret that Iran has been supplying Hezbollah with weapons, money, and strategic advice for years, allowing the group to grow from a ragtag militia into a powerful force that gives even the Israeli military pause.
Now, with Nasrallah gone, Israel is hoping that Hezbollah might crumble, or at least be thrown into enough disarray to prevent it from posing a serious threat in the near future. But anyone who’s familiar with the dynamics of the Middle East knows that things are never that simple. Hezbollah is more than just one man — it’s an entire movement, deeply embedded in Lebanon’s political and social fabric. Nasrallah might have been the face of Hezbollah, but the ideology, the weapons, and the widespread support aren’t going to disappear overnight.
Meanwhile, Israel isn’t content with just taking out Nasrallah. Oh no, they’re on a full-blown campaign to dismantle Iran’s entire proxy network across the region. It’s like they’ve decided to play whack-a-mole, but the moles are popping up in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and even Yemen. The Palestinians in Gaza, led by Hamas, have been launching rockets with alarming regularity, while Iranian-backed militias in Syria are keeping Israeli forces busy along their northern border. And let’s not forget the Houthis in Yemen, who’ve been causing Saudi Arabia enough headaches to warrant a few missile salvos of their own.
It’s a regional free-for-all, and Israel is caught in the middle of it, trying to hit multiple enemies at once while making sure they don’t get caught in the crossfire. Luckily for Israel, they’ve got some powerful backers. The United States, for one, has been quietly nodding along, giving Israel the green light to “defend itself” while pretending not to notice the trail of destruction left behind. The Europeans, on the other hand, are wringing their hands and issuing the usual statements about peace and human rights, but let’s be honest — they’re more concerned about their gas supplies than anything else.
But the real wild card in all this is Iran. So far, Tehran’s reaction to Nasrallah’s assassination has been surprisingly muted. For a regime that usually loves to threaten “severe retaliation” whenever Israel so much as sneezes in their direction, Iran has been oddly quiet. It’s like they’ve been caught off guard and are now trying to figure out their next move. Are they planning a massive revenge attack, or are they just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Or maybe, just maybe, Iran has realized that a full-scale war with Israel might not be in its best interests, especially with the economy already struggling under the weight of international sanctions.
Still, you can’t help but wonder if Iran is simply playing the long game. After all, they’ve got plenty of proxies to do their dirty work, from Hezbollah’s new leadership to the various Shia militias operating across Iraq and Syria. And while Nasrallah’s death might have rattled Hezbollah, it hasn’t destroyed the movement. In fact, it might even serve as a rallying cry for Hezbollah’s supporters, who are likely to view Nasrallah as a martyr for the cause.
And then, of course, there’s the matter of the broader regional implications. If this conflict continues to escalate, it could drag in other regional players like Turkey and the Gulf states, who have their own vested interests in the outcome. The global energy market, already sensitive to any disruptions in the Middle East, would be thrown into chaos, with oil prices skyrocketing faster than poaching an egg. The world would be watching nervously, hoping that someone—anyone—steps in to cool things down before it’s too late.
But in the end, this is the Middle East, where conflicts rarely end neatly and where every victory comes with a price. Israel might have taken out Nasrallah, but they’ve also opened the door to even more instability. The next chapter in this long-running saga is just beginning, and with so many players, so many missiles, and so many grudges, you can be sure the drama isn’t going to end anytime soon.
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Rajeev Ahmed
The Editor of Geopolits.com and the Author of the book titled Bengal Nexus
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