Lebanon on high alert as Israel vows ‘severe’ response to rocket deaths
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a rocket strike near the annex of Golan Heights that the Israeli forces will first and severely punish the perpetrators. The attack, which the two sides blamed on one another, has escalated the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a new level, with the international community rushing to avoid the problem escalating further.
Responding to the strike where eight people were killed in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Netanyahu said that the State of Israel would not and could not let this happen and assured that the counteraction would be severe. Netanyahu’s visit to the strike zone was followed by a protest, which took place after mourners buried the last victim, the 11-year-old Guevara Ibrahim.
Israel and the United States said it was carried out by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has been exchanging barrages with Israelis nearly daily since fighting between Hamas militants and Israel started in early October.
Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib suggested that the diplomatic resolution in anticipation of the expected Israeli reaction is in progress. “Israel will escalate in a limited way, and Hezbollah will reciprocate in a limited way…These are the assurances we have received,” Bou Habib said in an interview on Al Jdeed.
It may be anticipated that such limited escalation is likely because Israel does not wish to get involved in parallel wars. Currently, the United States, France, and other countries are working to find ways to reduce tension between the two countries. Lebanese PM Najib Mikati stated that talks with international, European, and Arab counterparts continue to defend Lebanon and reduce risks.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed optimism about the possibility of not escalating the conflict to a larger scale. At the same time, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened Israel to launch an attack on Lebanon, stating that the procedures that would follow would be grave. During a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian stressed the importance of ensuring a non-military scenario.
Hezbollah dismissed the attack on Majdal Shams but stated that it had carried out multiple attacks on Israeli troops on the same day.
Israel recognized the weapon used as the Falaq-1 Iranian rocket; these rockets are accused of being unguided and thus can be characterized as inaccurate by most analysts.
Some sources have also claimed that Hezbollah has pulled out some of its defenses as far as south and east Lebanon. This has led to the following flight suspensions by the airlines such as Air France and Lufthansa. A Syrian-German traveler at Beirut airport cited that booking a flight took a lot of work since many flights were canceled or overbooked.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned the citizens of Great Britain against traveling to Lebanon or staying there due to unsteady conditions.
Hezbollah targeted an ‘Israeli military position with dozens of Katyusha rockets on Monday after two of its members were killed.’ The group later said it had conducted more raids across the northern area of Israel. Syrian citizen has become the victim of an Israeli drone attack on the territory of southern Lebanon, according to the official Lebanese media sources.
The present invasion continues to claim lives, over 500 of which are combatants in Lebanon and dozens of civilians and soldiers for the Israeli side. Hezbollah has openly defended the attacks as being in support of Hamas. It has specified that the act of violence would only continue if there is no ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Attempts to obtain a ceasefire and a deal for the hostages’ release have not succeeded despite the recent talks in Rome.
Since the onset of the conflict, rights activists and agencies of the United Nations organization have expressed concern about the plight of Palestinians subjected to this experience by Israel. Lately, nine Israeli soldiers have been apprehended regarding the suspected usage of violence on a detainee from the Gaza Strip. This led to riots in front of a military compound as well as cases of citizens storming the compound where the alleged abuses were being carried out.
Right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir supported the detained soldiers; Netanyahu and Army Chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi criticized the protests and stated that such actions endanger national security.
As an ongoing conflict, the international players have continued to avoid the deepening of aggression and strive for a ceasefire.
