{"text":[[{"start":8.4,"text":"By assassinating Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel has dealt a grievous blow to one of its most powerful foes. "},{"start":15.042000000000002,"text":"Over three decades, Nasrallah transformed the group, with Iranian backing, into the Middle East’s most heavily armed non-state actor and the dominant political force in Lebanon. "},{"start":24.484,"text":"His killing has severely wounded the movement, while underlining Israel’s military superiority over Iran’s so-called axis of resistance. "}],[{"start":32.12,"text":"Many other senior Hizbollah figures have been killed in Israeli air strikes. "},{"start":36.387,"text":"But the relentless bombardment has wrought devastation on Lebanon, spreading fear and panic across the nation. "},{"start":42.217,"text":"More than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks, and up to 1mn forced from their homes. "},{"start":47.759,"text":"As the bombs rain down, they fear what comes next. "},{"start":50.952,"text":"Many in Lebanon opposed Nasrallah and blamed Hizbollah for the crisis-ridden country’s ills. "},{"start":55.857,"text":"But Hizbollah also represents a large swath of Shia society in a fragile nation where Muslim and Christian sects coexist uneasily. "},{"start":63.062,"text":"Under Nasrallah, the movement was cohesive and disciplined. "},{"start":66.44200000000001,"text":"In his absence, many worry it might fragment or become more extreme. "}],[{"start":70.97999999999999,"text":"Israelis, too, should be wary. "},{"start":73.984,"text":"They celebrated the death of their foe, but having a failed state on their northern border, or a more extremist enemy bent on revenge, will not serve their security interests. "},{"start":82.70199999999998,"text":"Hizbollah has been battered, but it will not disappear. "},{"start":85.89399999999999,"text":"History has shown that when one militant leader is killed, another steps into the breach, often more radical than the former. "}],[{"start":93.27999999999999,"text":"As Israel prepares to mark the grim anniversary of Hamas’s horrific October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and ignited the year of conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should take his wins and chart a new course. "},{"start":106.32199999999999,"text":"He should embrace the diplomatic off-ramps that have been available for months to end the war in Gaza, secure the release of hostages, and halt the conflict with Hizbollah. "}],[{"start":115.60999999999999,"text":"After pummelling Gaza for 12 months, Israel has killed many of Hamas’s senior leaders and severely depleted its military capacity. "},{"start":123.01399999999998,"text":"The offensive has left Gaza in ruins, and more than 41,000 Gazans have been killed, according to Palestinian officials. "},{"start":130.207,"text":"Hamas will not be able to control Gaza or repeat the atrocities of a year ago. "},{"start":134.724,"text":"On the northern front, Netanyahu’s stated aim is to ensure the safe return of 60,000 Israelis displaced by Hizbollah’s rocket fire, which began a day after the October 7 attack. "},{"start":144.642,"text":"But that will not happen as long as the conflict continues. "}],[{"start":148.67,"text":"Worryingly, however, the chances of Netanyahu and his far-right government banking their military gains and choosing the path of diplomacy over yet more war appear as remote as ever. "},{"start":158.44899999999998,"text":"Since killing Nasrallah on Friday, Israel has continued to pound Lebanon, launched limited ground incursions across the border in a potential prelude to a land invasion, and struck Houthi rebels in Yemen. "},{"start":169.404,"text":"Netanyahu has also stepped up his belligerent rhetoric against Iran. "}],[{"start":173.70999999999998,"text":"The US and Israel’s other allies preach de-escalation but are unable or unwilling to rein in Netanyahu, whose political interests are served by keeping Israel locked in conflict. "},{"start":183.33899999999997,"text":"The Biden administration looks ever more impotent as the US election nears, despite the risk that Netanyahu could seek to drag Washington into a war with Iran. "}],[{"start":192.64999999999998,"text":"Israel’s desire to restore its deterrent is one thing. "},{"start":196.07899999999998,"text":"But careering headlong into forever wars, giddy on its tactical success, with no clear strategy or end game, is not a recipe for long-term security and stability, for Israel or the region. "},{"start":207.022,"text":"The Middle East has witnessed its darkest year in decades. "},{"start":210.07699999999997,"text":"The killing and destruction must stop. "}],[{"start":212.14999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftmailbox.cn/album/173836-1727773686.mp3"}