Escalate to de-escalate: Israel’s high-risk strategy against Hezbollah

Israel is going for the nuclear option of threatening a ground war in the hope this persuades Hezbollah to back down.

Mourners attend a funeral for Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, who was killed by Israel in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept 25, 2024 (via Bilal Jawich/Xinhua/Alamy)

“Escalate to …