Situation at a glance: USA pushes for peaceful solution to Lebanon conflict

While Israel’s military in the Gaza Strip continues to be involved in fierce fighting with the Islamist Hamas, the army in the north has to fend off renewed shelling from Lebanon by Hamas’ ally Hezbollah. Around 20 missiles were fired from the neighboring country towards Israel, the army announced late in the evening. Israel’s missile defense system intercepted most of them. There were no injuries. The Israeli army had previously attacked a weapons depot belonging to the militia in southern Lebanon.

According to Israeli media reports, some rockets landed in a town in northern Israel that was evacuated because of the conflict. One hit a shopping center, the Times of Israel reported. The Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia claimed responsibility for firing “dozens” of rockets and said this was a response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, the newspaper reported.

USA wants diplomatic solution

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a diplomatic solution to the recently escalated conflict between his ally Israel and the Hezbollah militia. At a meeting with Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, Blinken spoke about the importance of “avoiding further escalation along the Israeli-Lebanese border,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in Washington.

Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah have been fighting almost daily since the beginning of the Gaza war. In places on both sides of the border, around 150,000 people have left the combat zone. There are concerns that the conflict could escalate into a regional conflict. Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – as stipulated in a UN resolution. The Iranian-backed militia will not stop the attacks until there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken discussed with his Israeli counterparts the importance of “finding a diplomatic solution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes,” Miller said. At the same time, Blinken underscored the United States’ unconditional commitment to Israel’s security. In addition, the talks focused on “practical solutions” to outstanding issues in the ongoing indirect negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release in the Gaza war.

Warning of large-scale war

The Gaza war was triggered by the massacres and hostage-taking by Palestinian terrorist organizations such as Hamas on October 7, 2023 in Israel. The Lebanese Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas. The “Lebanon Front” is a “support front,” as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly emphasized. It is part of the struggle that will decide the fate of Palestine, Lebanon and the region. Recently, mutual shelling between Israel and the militia has become more intense.

The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” recently reported that the USA had warned Israel that even a limited ground maneuver in southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah back from the border could trigger a large-scale war. Hezbollah is considered to be significantly more powerful than Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Shiite militia has an arsenal of around 150,000 rockets alone. In the event of a war, it could fire thousands of them at Israel every day. A hail of rockets could overwhelm Israel’s missile defenses.

“Israel is used to fighting short wars,” the Washington Post quoted an expert at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies as saying. But after more than nine months, Israel’s troops are exhausted, military equipment needs maintenance, and ammunition is used up. Every family in Israel is affected by the war. Even in economically hard-hit Lebanon, many people feel that they cannot endure another crisis. There is currently no fully functioning government there.

Reports of deaths in Syria

However, without a formal ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, it is unlikely that Hezbollah will give up completely. The indirect negotiations, mediated by the USA, Egypt and Qatar, are set to continue this week in Doha. They involve exchanging the remaining hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and a ceasefire. Israel has so far rejected Hamas’s demand for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Meanwhile, according to Syrian sources, at least two people were killed in a suspected Israeli drone attack near the Syrian-Lebanese border. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian-Lebanese security sources, one of the victims was a businessman with links to the Hezbollah militia. There was no confirmation of this from Israel.

Just a few days ago, a former bodyguard of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a suspected Israeli drone attack in the same area. With such attacks in Syria, Israel wants to prevent its arch-enemy Iran and its allied militias such as Hezbollah from expanding their military influence in the country. Iran is one of Syria’s most important allies. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Israeli attacks, which are usually not officially confirmed by Israel, have increased.