Israel can't defend itself in regional war without US help: Israeli general

If Israel launches a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah and Iran, it will trigger a regional war that Tel Aviv would be unable to fight effectively without US support, Israeli Reserve General Itzhak Brik said, the Hebrew Channel 12 reported.

Concerns are growing about the outbreak of a comprehensive regional war following Israel's assassination of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an air strike on a suburb of Beirut on July 30 and the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran the next day, in an attack attributed to Tel Aviv.

The US has supplied Israel with $11 billion worth of arms since Tel Aviv launched its war on Gaza in October last year.

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed a "strong and effective" response to the assassinations while attempts are being made to calm the situation through regional contacts and moves.

Brik said that in recent days, some people have failed to understand the concerning condition of the Israeli army, suggesting that Iran and Hezbollah should be attacked pre-emptively before they strike Israel.

He expressed concern that those advocating for a pre-emptive strike fail to consider that such an action would immediately trigger a regional war.

Brik said that if Israel launches a pre-emptive war, its population centres, power stations, gas platforms, transportation infrastructure, industrial infrastructure and army bases will be subjected to daily attacks by thousands of missiles and drones.

Inevitable regional war

He emphasised that the Israeli army does not have the capacity to respond to a regional war, neither in defending this national infrastructure nor in defeating Iran, Hezbollah and their proxies.

He added that some argue a pre-emptive strike could provide an advantage in an inevitable regional war.

However, Brik countered that a pre-emptive strike will certainly bring about a regional war, while the reactions of Iran and Hezbollah, if they are minor, "will not necessarily drag us into a regional war".

He noted that the Israeli army alone lacks a winning strategy for a regional war, even if it starts with a pre-emptive strike, and thus requires US support.

Brik also emphasised that Israel's dependence on the US is crucial for its resilience in such a conflict.

He added that Israel cannot endure or win the war without US assistance.