Escalation of Conflict Between Israel and Hezbollah Intensifies as Airstrikes Hit Lebanon
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Roshan Amiri
- . September 23, 2024
- . Update: September 23, 2024 11:22 pm
Declared on Monday by the Israeli military on Monday, one of the most significant barrages of the ongoing conflict: a dramatic escalation of hostilities with a fierce sweep of airstrikes directed on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. According to the Israeli military, about three hundred installations were targeted in part of Israel’s ongoing attempts to lower Hezbollah’s military capacity. The strikes took place during more than a year of growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group with headquarters located in Lebanon.
Based on the Lebanese Health Ministry’s estimates, the airstrikes claimed 100 lives and injured almost 400 on the deadliest single day Lebanon has witnessed since the start of the conflict. The dead, which included both fighters and civilians, highlighted the increasing toll the war is exacting on Lebanese people.
Modifying Death Count and Escalation of Violence
Before this most recent escalation, most of the more than 600 deaths previously recorded in Lebanon since the war started in October were Hezbollah fighters. Still, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than one hundred people, which asks issues about the humanitarian consequences of the ongoing violence. Monday’s strikes follow a particularly volatile week beginning with a series of pager blasts, which fuels concerns about the violence escalating out of control.
The Israeli military announced the latest strikes on social media after presenting a picture of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military chief, authorizing more military operations, in Tel Aviv. The fact that Halevi and other Israeli officials have committed to fight more fiercely against Hezbollah in the next few days shows that the battle is far from over.
Hezbollah Responds with Rocket Strikes
In response to the Israeli strikes, Hezbollah said in a statement claiming to have fired hundreds of missiles on Israeli military stations in the Galilee region. The company also verified that it focused on the facilities of Israel’s Rafael military company in Haifa for a second consecutive day, therefore fostering cross-border contacts. When Hezbollah’s missiles landed in northern Israel, numerous towns turned up air-raid sirens to warn the people of cover-taking.
Israel then advised southern Lebanon residents to evacuate buildings and homes allegedly to have contained weapons for Hezbollah. Reflecting the mounting seriousness of the conflict, this was the first time in almost a year such a warning had been issued. Though some Lebanese residents reportedly began receiving text messages urging them to leave, it is unclear if a migration is under way or if any personal impact has been experienced.
All-Out War Risk: Rising Looming
The increasing killing raises questions about whether the crisis will become an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, therefore unsettling the region even more. Israel is attempting to free prisoners taken after the October 7 attack, while there is already fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The possibility of a more broad regional confrontation is becoming more serious as Hezbollah remains committed to its actions in support of Hamas and the Palestinian cause.
Israel has said that despite increasing airstrikes and dead tolls, its main focus is on maintaining peace along its northern border. Israeli officials claim that their current efforts are aimed to make Hezbollah unable to launch future strikes on Israeli territory. Still, tensions on both sides of the border have been rising; Israel and Hezbollah neither seems to be retreating.
Alerts and Strikes Everywhere in Lebanon
Monday’s strikes were broad, targeted not only in southern Lebanon but also in far northern regions. Lebanese government media claims that since October, Israeli strikes on a forested area in Byblos, some 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, mark the first such attack on the area. Although no injuries were reported there, the airstrikes in other regions—including the northern Baalbek and Hermel areas—left a shepherd dead and two of his family members injured.
To focus on treating those injured by the ongoing Israeli attacks, the Health Ministry advised eastern Bekaa valley hospitals as well as southern Lebanon ones to delay non-urgent surgeries. At least thirty persons were confirmed injured in the strikes by the state-run National News Agency of Lebanon. The comments of the ministry about Israel’s increasing aggressiveness and call for medical facilities to be ready to treat more casualties hinted to
People living in southern Lebanon uploaded images of the bombings producing smoke plumes from many villages on social media. Israeli sources claim that Hezbollah has turned entire southern villages into military camps where it hides missile launchers and other hardware among civilian residences. In response to this claim, Israel has heavily targeted certain localities, despite resident risk.
Growing Issue Regarding Civilian Deaths
Key Hezbollah commander and scores of fighters were killed in one of the most significant Israeli strikes of late last Friday in a Beirut suburb. Apart from the military losses, the strike claimed many lives among civilians, including women and children. Along with Monday’s deadly onslaught, this attack has just heightened the already great concerns over the civilian cost of the ongoing battle.
Complicating things even more, last week saw a series of explosions around Lebanon involving communications equipment largely used by Hezbollah forces. These explosions claimed 39 lives and wounded around 3,000 people. Although Lebanon claimed Israel for the blasts, the government of Israel has not admitted nor refuted responsibility.
Regional Effects and Probability of Growing Conflict
Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict started on October 7, when terrorists from Hamas commenced a deadly attack on southern Israel claiming over 1,200 fatalities and kidnapping over 250 hostages. From what Hezbollah claims to be an effort to support Palestinian troops in Gaza since then, it has been striking northern Israel. Israel has replied with airstrikes, which has led to a continuous increase of the conflict for the past year.
Apart from tens of thousands displaced on both sides of the border, hundreds murdered in Israel, and Lebanon, the war has dragged on. Near the border, communities have been abandoned; brush fires have changed the topography; and farming has been decimated. Israel and Hezbollah are resolved to proceed on their respective campaigns since Israel wants to force Hezbollah back from the border to let displaced Israeli residents return to their homes. In the meantime, Hezbollah has warned to keep attacking until Gaza reaches a cease-fire.
However, the dread of an even more horrible clash between Israel and Hezbollah becomes even more evident considering no conclusion to the struggle in sight. As the one-year anniversary of the conflict draws near, the neighborhood gets ready for more violence and instability.
