Though neither Washington nor the presidential candidate herself may yet fully comprehend it, Vice President Harris’ honeymoon effectively ended on Saturday on a blood-stained soccer field in the Golan Heights as the Middle East lies on the brink of what may be the bloodiest war since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on Thursday, Harris made a self-serving decision to pander to Gen Z and progressive voters that appears to be having fatal consequences.
Harshly criticizing Israel, as he did before Bibi in the White House, may help him win votes at the November polls, but it also helps land body bags in Gaza and northern Israel.
Now Israeli civilians are paying a heavy price for her words.
In what could have been a second attack on October 7, Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on a soccer field in the Golan Heights on Saturday afternoon, killing 12 people, including children, and wounding 40.
The attack struck the village of Majdal Shams, home to a large community of Druze, an Arab and Arabic-speaking ethno-religious group, many of whom are Israeli citizens and proudly serve in the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel identified more than 30 missiles that had flown into Israeli territory from Lebanon and blamed the attack on the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which has denied the accusation and “categorically denied” firing the rockets.
According to IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari, the rocket used in the attack on the soccer field was an Iranian-made Falak-1 rocket, and if it was not fired by Hezbollah, it could have been fired by Iran’s Revolutionary Islamic Corps (IRGC) forces in Lebanon.
It’s the same difference.
The White House is reportedly calling on Israel to deliver a “balanced response” to the recent atrocities. That’s unlikely.
Ms. Harris told Mr. Netanyahu that she would not be silent. Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran heard her loud and clear and said they would not be silent either.
By conveying his serious concerns to Israel, Harris has unwittingly, but predictably, sent the green light to all three partners in the axis of evil for hunting season to begin again on Israel and its civilians throughout the country.
Harris may have naively thought that her get-out-the-vote ploy in Michigan would lead to a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but that ceasefire has now failed to materialize and Harris is shouldering much of the blame, despite her campaign’s denials.
Israel is currently trying to do damage control: Harris has called for the clearing of Passage 9, and the IDF now has a new mission: destroying Hezbollah in northern Israel.
It is very likely that in the coming days we will begin to kinetically witness the beginning of the end of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But the Biden-Harris administration’s continuing failures in the Middle East go beyond Hamas and Hezbollah: Iran is an enemy that Biden and Harris refuse to confront, one that Israel is forced to confront alone.
Our military commanders understand the broad nature of the multiple threats emanating from Tehran. Harris does not. Biden may have once done so, but he is effectively no longer in charge.
The Iranian threat is much bigger than Harris can comprehend. Much bigger.
Last week, General Eric Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, reportedly “advised in a classified memo to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that military operations in the region had ‘failed’ to thwart Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and that a broader approach was needed.”
Military operations across the Middle East have “failed” to thwart Iranian-backed attacks on Israel, US military bases and commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Iranian-shaped Hydra head remains firmly in place, and Harris is now pressing Israel to eliminate the extremists of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has no intention of going away quietly — its nuclear program continues unabated — and it interprets Harris’ campaign moves as giving Muslim leaders more time and space.
Israel will not go away quietly either. The Druze hold a special place in Israel, and have long been respected as fearless and valued comrades in the Israel Defense Forces.
Hezbollah has effectively declared war on the Druze by attacking Israel, and Harris may find this is a Pandora’s box that will not be easily closed, no matter how much she needs the progressive and Gen Z votes in November.
Col. Jonathan Sweet (Ret.) served as a military intelligence officer for 30 years and led U.S. European Command’s Intelligence Division from 2012 to 2014. Mark Toth writes about national security and foreign policy.
