The Israeli army has launched a pre-emptive offensive operation and is striking Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, the IDF General Staff said.
Hundreds dead, thousands injured in Lebanon
Dozens of Israeli fighter jets bombed Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing hundreds and wounding more than 1,000, Lebanese officials said. These are the deadliest attacks in the country since 2006, when Israel and Hezbollah fought their last all-out war.
As Israeli warplanes swept across Lebanon’s skies, Hezbollah, Lebanon’s powerful Iranian-backed militia, unleashed its own barrage of strikes on Israel. Some 250 rockets and other munitions crossed the country’s border, according to the Israeli military, after which air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly. Most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s missile defence system and there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
The widespread airstrikes on Lebanon and Israel’s warnings to the Lebanese to leave areas where it said Hezbollah was storing weapons caused fear and confusion among civilians. Many took their children out of school and left their homes. Witnesses said cars clogged the main roads leading to the capital Beirut, and people fled towns, cities and villages in southern Lebanon, where the heaviest strikes were carried out.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the bombings killed at least 492 people, including at least 24 children, and wounded more than 1,600. The ministry, which counts the number of casualties admitted to hospitals, did not say how many of the dead were Hezbollah fighters.
The death toll in a single day was nearly half of the total number killed in Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which lasted 34 days.
Israeli leaders said they were stepping up strikes against Hezbollah to prevent it from shelling northern Israel, which the group began doing on October 8, a day after its ally in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, led a deadly cross-border raid into southern Israel.
Israeli PM warns of “difficult days ahead”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis there were “difficult days ahead” and said Israel was determined to “change the security balance” in the north. “That is exactly what we are doing,” Netanyahu said].
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it was necessary to prevent a wider war in the Middle East.
The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to escalate into a full-scale war, the EU foreign policy chief warned after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He added that strong diplomatic mediation efforts were needed to prevent the worst outcome.
This year’s high-level general debate is organised under the motto: “Leaving no one behind: joint action to promote peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.”
UN chief condemned Israel’s strikes
Borrell said the attacks are both targeted and random:
“Targeted because of the target and random because of the consequences.”
He condemned the strikes, which he said were forcing civilians to pay an “unacceptable price,” and warned that an escalation of the conflict posed a risk to the entire region.
Borrell also said the road to peace begins with a ceasefire in Gaza and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, calling for an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Borrell criticised the Security Council’s failure to put the resolution into effect. He said, expressing concern that the Security Council risks losing legitimacy:
“Almost 20 years ago [and] I am still asking for the implementation of this resolution. Because either they don’t agree on anything, or when they agree it’s not implemented.”
Saudi Arabia says international institutions are “unfit for purpose”
Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Faisal bin Farhan warned that international institutions are “unfit for purpose,” as evidenced by the UN’s failure to hold Israel accountable for “all the atrocities it has committed.” He spoke a day after UN member states voted in favour of a “Pact for the Future.”
Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia is actively working to strengthen multilateral co-operation, but UN reform is needed to achieve a brighter future. As part of the “urgent task,” the UN must be revamped to fulfil its responsibilities to maintain international peace and security, he added. He also said:
“We hope that our collective efforts will allow us to uphold various values such as sovereignty, and to build a better future for current and future generations.”
China “firmly supports” Lebanon
China “firmly supports” Lebanon in defending its sovereignty, security and national dignity and opposes Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Wang Yi said at a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in New York:
“China has been closely following the latest developments in the region, especially the recent explosions of communication devices across Lebanon, and is firmly opposed to indiscriminate attacks against civilians.”
The foreign ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, and Wang said:
“Violence against violence will not solve the problems in the Middle East. China strongly condemns any action that violates the basic norms governing international relations. The current situation “is a manifestation of the spillover effect of the conflicts in Gaza.”
China, he said, calls for the achievement of a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive withdrawal of troops, and for ensuring the effective implementation of the two-state solution.
Iran expressed support for Lebanon
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its condolences to those killed and injured in the Tabas coal mine disaster, Mohajerani said in a press release.
The government is making every effort to improve working conditions and safety standards to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, she added. Referring to Israel’s recent actions in Lebanon, Mohajerani said:
“We strongly condemn the expansion of the war in the region and its dangers in Lebanon, the crimes of the Zionist regime in Palestine, Gaza and Lebanon, and we consider these attacks against humanity and humanity. A full-scale genocide is going on in Gaza and Lebanon, and unfortunately, we are witnessing genocide combined with the disgusting and crazy behavior of a racist regime.”
She also called for serious intervention by the UN Security Council on Israel’s offences.
Speaking about President Pezeshkian’s visit to New York amid tensions in the region caused by Israeli incursions, Mohajerani said:
“In a situation when Israel put the nations of the region on the threshold of threats and war, the president’s trip carries the message of stable and fair peace for all nations.”
Jordan urges UN to curb “Israeli aggression” on Lebanon
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday called on the international community to take action to stop “Israeli aggression” in Lebanon, warning of its consequences for the entire region. Safadi said in a statement on his X account:
“We stress the urgent need for the (UN) Security Council to take immediate action to curb Israeli aggression and protect the region from its catastrophic consequences.”
He said “the aggression in Lebanon” could not have happened without the inaction of the international community to stop the Israeli aggression in Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 7. He noted that Israel is intensifying its war against Lebanon while convening the UN General Assembly, “defying it and its resolutions,” which, he said, require Israel to stop its aggression and respect international law.
The Jordanian diplomat reiterated that ending Israeli aggression is “an international responsibility that the Security Council must assume immediately.”
US lawmaker urges Biden to halt arms supplies to Israel
On Monday, US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called on the Biden administration to stop supplying arms to Israel amid escalating tensions with Lebanon. Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, said on X:
“It’s easier to stop sending the Israel government weapons to conduct its genocidal wars than it is to evacuate every American in Lebanon.”
Her announcement followed an update to the State Department’s travel advisory on Saturday, which urged US citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon and advised those already in the country to “leave while commercial options are still available” due to rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Earlier, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a conversation with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, expressed concern about the safety of US citizens in the region.
Loud silence on Israel’s pre-emptive offensive operation
Russia acting in Ukraine used the same language, calling its actions pre-emptive in response to NATO expansion. For years the US and Europe has militarised Ukraine and Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine, after which the world community tried to isolate Russia; many countries imposed an unprecedented number of sanctions against it, trying to impose maximum restrictions wherever possible.
Now Tel Aviv is using exactly the same rhetoric against Lebanon, but no one is imposing sanctions on Israel, no one is isolating Israel, especially the countries that support Ukraine in its military conflict are now silent about Israeli actions, some countries are condemning Israel for its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, but no one is saying anything about Lebanon at all.
Everyone is expressing concern, but no country is taking any active action, which shows the ambivalence and double standards in the approach to international law.
