Dannatt: West’s failure to curb Iran risks war in Middle East
BRITAIN and the West should put pressure on Iran to rein in Hizbollah in Lebanon in order to avoid war between the militant group and Israel, the former head of the Army has warned.
General the Lord Dannatt, a former chief of the general staff, said the West had no coherent strategy to deter Hizbollah’s military build-up in Lebanon and, as a result, it was risking a sudden eruption of conflict “either by accident or by design”.
“In the absence of a concerted international effort to rein in Iran in the region – and no such coherent Western strategy currently exists – we must be prepared to expect Israel to defend its vital security interests robustly,” Lord Dannatt writes on The Telegraph’s website. “Many criticise the Israeli Defence Forces for being heavy-handed but, having quizzed their chiefs of staff personally, I believe they would act within acceptable legal and moral standards.
“Yet the legitimate military objectives Israel would be forced to attack in a conflict with Iran, and its proxy terror-armies hiding among civilians in Lebanon and Syria, would make for a very grave war.”
Lord Dannatt spoke out ahead of the publication of a report on the prospects of an Israel-hizbollah war by the Highlevel Military Group, a body of former senior Western military officers formed by the Friends of Israel Initiative.
The report concludes that Britain and other European countries should classify Hizbollah in its entirety as a terrorist group, instead of just its armed wing. The Government argues that “the military and political activities of Hizbollah are distinct” and that proscribing the entire group would be counter-productive.
The report also says that the West should make clear that it would support Israel in the event of a conflict, “to send a clear message to Iran and Hizbollah that it will be confronted by a superior military force with the full support of its allies”. It also concludes that the US should make financial support to Lebanon conditional “on a plan to strip Hizbollah of its de facto status as the leading force in the country”.