After two waves of explosions that left dozens dead and thousands injured, Lebanon is in shock. How is Hezbollah reacting? Arch-enemy Israel is gathering forces in the north.
After the explosions of electronic communication devices in Lebanon, which left dozens dead and thousands injured, Israel has signaled a tougher approach against the Hezbollah militia in its northern neighbor. While Israel continues to fight against Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah, in the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Joav Galant has now announced a “new phase” of the war. “The focus is shifting to the north,” Galant said, according to his office. Israel’s army has been fighting with Hezbollah there since the start of the Gaza war almost a year ago. There are concerns that a full-blown war against the militia could be imminent.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced a speech for this afternoon. In view of the extremely dangerous situation, the UN Security Council is planning an emergency meeting. According to diplomatic sources, the most powerful body of the United Nations is to meet on Friday at 9 p.m. CEST.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres sees the “serious risk of a dramatic escalation” in the Middle East. “The logic behind exploding all this equipment is, of course, to do this as a preemptive strike before a major military operation,” Guterres said at a press conference in New York.
More than 3,000 injured in Lebanon
While Guterres was speaking, news came in of a second wave of explosions. According to authorities, 20 people were killed and more than 450 others injured on Wednesday afternoon. As on the previous day, many members of Hezbollah were hit, according to Lebanese security sources.
Already on Tuesday, hundreds of so-called pagers exploded simultaneously in several places in Lebanon. Around 2,800 people were injured and at least twelve died.
Rescue services from Iran, which has close ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon, want to fly out around 100 injured people. Most of the explosion victims had injuries to their hands and eyes, said the head of the Red Crescent Society, Pirhussein Koliwand.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions and vowed retaliation. The Israeli side itself did not comment on the two waves of explosions. However, such technically sophisticated attacks are typical of Israel’s secret services, which have carried out similarly complex attacks to kill high-ranking enemies on several occasions. If Israel’s leadership ordered the explosions, the question arises as to what they were trying to achieve. Former Israeli military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the move was probably aimed at forcing Hezbollah to stop its cross-border attacks.
Experts: Israel wants to force Hezbollah to withdraw
“The purpose of such an operation was not to cause an escalation, but to reach an agreement that would allow people to return to their homes,” Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the research department of Israel’s military intelligence, told the US newspaper. Due to the almost daily military confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the country’s border had to leave their homes.
The attack in Lebanon signals to Hezbollah that Israel will not limit itself to the ongoing exchange of blows along the northern border that has been going on since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Wall Street Journal quoted Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence, as saying. The Shiite militia, which is allied with Iran, must understand that “Israel can change the rules of the game,” he said.
Israel wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to get Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – as stipulated in a UN resolution. The Lebanese militia, which is allied with Hamas, will only stop its attacks against Israel once a ceasefire has been reached in Gaza. Both Islamist organizations belong to Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” – an alliance against the common enemy Israel.
Israel’s Defense Minister: Beginning of a new phase of war
“We are at the beginning of a new phase of the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance on our part,” said Israeli Defense Minister Galant. During a visit to an air force base, he recalled the government’s recently set war goal: the return of tens of thousands of refugee Israeli citizens to the northern border area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated this promise in a video address. “We are providing forces, resources and energy for the northern area,” Galant said, according to his office.
According to Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the army is ready to do whatever is necessary to create the conditions for Israeli residents to return to their homes in the north: “We still have many capabilities that we have not yet used.” Experts see the attacks on the communication devices of many Hezbollah members as a severe blow to the Shiite militia, which is also likely to weaken its fighting spirit. Some of its most important means of communication are now disrupted or no longer usable.
The Wall Street Journal quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the militia’s leadership is not inclined to launch a full-scale war with Israel. Hezbollah leaders do not believe that an Israeli ground invasion is imminent – but expect that there will be further attacks with high impact.
UN General Assembly calls for Israel’s withdrawal
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly demanded Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories within a year with a clear majority of 124 votes. 43 states – including Germany – abstained from voting on a corresponding resolution in the largest UN body with 193 member states. Israel itself and the United States, along with twelve other countries, voted against the draft resolution, the adoption of which has no binding consequences under international law. Some states did not vote.
The resolution is intended to enforce a legal opinion from the UN’s highest court on the Middle East conflict. In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled in its legal opinion that the occupation of the Palestinian territories was illegal and had to be ended as soon as possible. Israel ignored this – the same behavior is expected in light of the resolution that has now been adopted.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
