The pain of Gaza has spread to Lebanon. On Monday, in an airstrike aimed at destroying Hezbollah weapons depots and positions, Israel killed 492 civilians – including 35 children – and left 1,600 wounded, according to the Beirut government, in what the international community already recognizes as the first pages of a possible open war between Tel Aviv and the Shiite militia but which, for the moment, remains a shock action to expel the fighters of the so-called Party of God so that the inhabitants of northern Israel can return to their homes.
Since morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent messages to the Lebanese civilian population living in the south of the country to evacuate before they launched “deep” bombings in various southern towns and the Bekaa Valley to destroy up to “800” Hezbollah targets and kill the southern commander Ali Karaki, who finally emerged unharmed. The Lebanese Ministry of Health recorded the killing of 492 civilians, including 35 minors, and estimated the number of wounded at around 1,645, the worst attack the country has suffered since the 2006 war. Although later
The government’s National Coordination Committee for Disaster and Crisis Response has therefore launched a national emergency plan to focus on the damage to the civilian population, especially those displaced from Beirut, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, which are predominantly Christian.
Hezbollah responded by bombing several positions in the north, Haifa and in the vicinity of the Hebrew capital, without any casualties or damage being reported. The interim prime minister of the Arab country, Nayib Mikati, denounced that “the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon is a war of extermination in every sense and is part of a destructive plan aimed at razing Lebanese villages and towns,” while the UNIFIL, the United Nations mission commanded by the Spaniard Aroldo Lázaro, assured that “any escalation of this dangerous situation will have devastating consequences.”
Israel’s initial plan for Lebanon, according to military officials, is to establish a buffer zone so that residents in the north of the country can return to their homes without the threat of Hezbollah, something that authorities there are wary of. However, it remains to be seen whether the Tel Aviv strikes will add to the already tense situation with Hezbollah.
Crossed blames
What is certain is that the cessation of hostilities is not in sight of calm. In a statement released to the Israeli military authorities, Netanyahu said that “exactly what we are doing” is “changing the security balance, the balance of forces in the north” to destroy the threats of the pro-Iranian militia without advancing if there will finally be a ground invasion in southern Lebanon. For his part, the head of the Army, Yoav Gallant, said that the attacks have destroyed “what Hezbollah has built in 20 years” and that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is “isolated.”
Israel, however, is taking giant steps towards a war that Shiites are already viewing with graveness. Iraqi Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, one of the most influential in the region, called for “every effort possible to stop this barbaric aggression and protect the Lebanese people,” while Persian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserted that “it is Israel that seeks to widen this conflict” that could still get worse.
The United States increases its military presence in the region due to tensions
The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that it has reinforced its troops in the Middle East with the additional deployment of a “small number” of soldiers in the context of increased tensions between Israel and the Shiite militia party Hezbollah.
“In light of heightened tensions in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we have deployed a small number of additional U.S. military personnel to augment our forces already in the region,” Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder told a news conference. The United States already has troops deployed in the region, including the aircraft carrier Lincoln, although the Pentagon spokesman did not specify the number of troops that will be deployed in the region or their role “for security reasons. “
Diplomatic efforts
US President Joe Biden said he was working to try to “de-escalate” the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. “I have been briefed on the latest developments. My team is in contact with their counterparts in those countries and we are working to de-escalate the situation in a way that allows people to return home safely,” the president said when he received the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed, at the White House, with whom he also spoke about Gaza.
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