Five weeks after Operation Northern Shield was launched, Israel can point to an operational-intelligence-technological achievement regarding the threat of tunnels dug into its sovereign territory by Hezbollah on the northern border with Lebanon. Israel exposed and destroyed the tunnels without escalating the situation, while enhancing, to an extent, its long term deterrence vis-à-vis Hezbollah. Nevertheless, achievement on the accompanying political front is mixed: while Israel enjoys support for its action in the context of its right to defend itself, it did not successfully translate this support into promotion of its strategic interests in Lebanon, foremost among them international recognition of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization that is strengthening its hold over Lebanon. This understanding would also broaden global support for Israel’s approach that Lebanon is responsible for the organization’s actions.

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