Israel Broadens Offensive Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah Raises the Ante
Meanwhile, Israel stepped its military Offensive in Lebanon by bringing a Fourth Division of troops into the country with air strikes continuing over the South and Western Regions. Analysts saw the latest move as a possible prelude to wider hostilities with Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia group.
Israel increases troop numbers in Lebanon
Israel dispatched the 146th division southward across the border with Lebanon on Tuesday, bringing to 15,000 troops the force that launched operations last week. Israel’s military operation, dubbed Operation Northern Arrows, seeks to eradicate Hezbollah infrastructure along the tightly-guarded ‘blue line,’ the borderline between the two nations.
Israeli forces had earlier described their operations as “limited and targeted,” but the dispatch of large numbers of troops to southern Lebanon and evacuation orders for some Lebanese villages suggest a broader offensive is in the offing. Other Israeli air strikes have hit the Beirut suburbs south of the city, killing both civilians and Hezbollah fighters.
Hezbollah Chief Says Stronger than Ever After Attacks
Hezbollah acting leader Naim Qassem said in a defiant speech that the group’s military power is still operational after two weeks of heavy Israeli strikes. Qassem assured followers Hezbollah is still firing hundreds of rockets and drones at Israeli lands. He also noted that senior Hezbollah commanders had been “immediately replaced” following the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli air and drone strikes.
Qassem’s address preceded two Israeli air raids that targeted southern Beirut, a Shia-majority neighbourhood.
Status of Lebanon — Continued Suffering and Displacement
The toll on Lebanon from the conflict has been heavy – at least 1,400 people have been killed, including a proportion of civilians and Hezbollah fighters. As the fighting rages on, more than 1.2 million people—nearly a quarter of Lebanon’s population—have fled their homes and become internally displaced. The Israeli Government says it is not negotiating to end the two-week-old conflict but fighting to secure some peace for its northern region, which 60-thousand people have fled since Hezbollah began firing rockets.
The Hezbollah Role in the Conflict
Hezbollah, supported by Iran, became involved in the war on Hamas after an attack by the Palestinians killed a number of Hezbollah fighters on October 7 of last year. Now, both Iran and the US are entering into that battle again; only this time that battle may expand. Dates back to last week, when Iran fired a missile into Israel in support of its Lebanese proxy HezbollahScourge from the northwest has raised concerns about an all-out regional war by now.
Israel Gears Up for Potential Retaliation In Wake of Iran Attack
In light of the Iranian missile strike, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that all options remain available. Israel, whose military is capable of hitting targets near and far, said it was talking to Washington about the situation. If tensions reach a still higher level, the U.S. fears Israel might only lash out at Iranian military and intelligence assets — an early phase of any Israeli attack that carries fewer risks for Israel than a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the officials told The Washington Times.
Fighting Continues in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes however have continued in Gaza, with 17 people killed in an attack on a refugee camp on Tuesday. In an online statement, Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, said the movement would keep up its fight, called on Palestinians to embark on a war of attrition against Israel.
The chance of a long and bloody war between the two competing factions is very real.
Visit shaktiexpress.com for more information.