Still, Israel’s good-faith opponents argue that Israel cannot take down either Hezbollah or Iran, and its attempts to do so will only escalate a bad situation into a regional-wide conflict. By the end, they say, Israel will be losing a lot more than it stands to gain.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as its sponsors in Tehran, appears to be spiraling completely out of control. An all-out war is looming with Israel, whose government is flush with victory and triumphalism and in little mood to suspend its attacks as Iran and Hezbollah vow to fight on.