The question now ringing through Israel is whether it helps win the war.There is broad agreement that the deadly sabotage of Hezbollah’s electronic communications was a short-term tactical success that sent its foe into disarray and incapacitated thousands of its fighters.

Israel has responded to Hezbollah’s fire with strikes in southern Lebanon, and has struck senior figures from the group in the capital Beirut. The exchanges have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents on each side of the border.

Israel’s government is in turmoil and the United States is trying to head off a wider conflict in Lebanon, leaving officials to wonder about the timing of the attack.