Short-term gains: Lack of vision in multi-fronted war may be fatally exposed

As Israelis approached the holy days of Rosh Hashanah last week, the news began to circulate. IDF units fighting on the border with Lebanon had taken casualties.

- Peter Beaumont

The confirmation of the dead and wounded served as a stark reminder of the blows that come in war, even as Israel's air offensive has killed hundreds of Lebanese and wounded more. The soldiers' deaths came after Israel had struck a series of blows against Hezbollah, including the assassination of the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and most of the top leadership.

Underlining that sense of hazard was the wave of Iranian missiles launched against Israel, which had not been as inconsequential as initially claimed by Israel's leadership. Instead it showed that a large-scale strike could not only overwhelm anti-missile defences but that Tehran could accurately hit the targets it was aiming for. All of which raised serious questions as Israel prepared for a "significant" military response to the barrage.

A year into Israel's multi-front war that now includes Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, Israel's undoubted military and intelligence superiority is faltering.

In Israel's expanding war, as Israeli security analyst Michael Milshtein told the Guardian, there have been "tactical victories" but "no strategic vision" - certainly not one that unites the different fronts.