Jonathan Spyer is a British-Israeli analyst, writer, and journalist of Middle Eastern affairs. He is director of research at the Middle East Forum, editor of Middle East Quarterly magazine, a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, a freelance security analyst and correspondent for Jane's Information Group, and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post.

Tensions on Israel’s northern border have escalated to the point where Israel has declared that it is ready for all out war against Hezbollah if necessary. What might trigger such an eventuality and what could be the consequences of such an escalation? Is the threat real or are we seeing the use of strong rhetoric as a deterrent against an all out war?