Refer Report

Israel is expanding the radius of its air strikes to the entire ‘Axis of Resistance’ by successively attacking Houthi rebel bases in Yemen and downtown Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Amid growing concerns of an all-out war in the Middle East due to the ‘Beep Terror’ targeting Hezbollah members and the subsequent all-out attack following the assassination of Supreme Leader Hassan Nasrallah, there are continued criticism that the United States has lost its ability to control the situation in the Middle East. Pope Francis criticized Israel’s attacks, saying they “crossed the moral line.”

On the 29th (local time), the Israeli military attacked power plants and fuel tanks in Hudaydah and Ras Isa, the bases of Houthi rebels in Yemen, killing at least four people and injuring 40, Reuters reported. A day after the Houthi rebels claimed to have launched a missile attack against Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport the previous day, it was aimed at the Houthi rebel base about 1,800 km away.

In the early morning of the 30th, Israeli troops attacked an apartment near the Kola intersection in a residential area in southwestern Beirut, Lebanon, killing at least four people, Lebanese security authorities said. This area, which connects the city center and Beirut International Airport, is a residential area dense with shops and markets, and local media reported that this attack was Israel’s first attack on downtown Beirut since the 2006 Lebanon War. Israel has recently conducted airstrikes on the outskirts of Beirut, but has not attacked the city center.

Lebanese health authorities announced on the 29th that the number of deaths reached 105 due to Israeli airstrikes throughout Lebanon in one day alone. Fatih Sharif Abu Amin, a Hamas official active in Lebanon, was also reported to have been killed in an airstrike in southern Tire. In the two weeks since the Pippi terrorist attack occurred on the 17th, more than 1,000 people have died and more than 6,000 have been injured. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed concern on the 29th that the number of refugees due to Israel’s attack could reach up to 1 million. Lebanon’s population is approximately 5.5 million people.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a speech to soldiers of the 188th Armored Brigade under the Northern Command on the 30th, “The elimination of (Hezbollah leader) Nasrallah is a very important step, but it is not everything,” and “We will use all the capabilities we have.” said. The Times of Israel pointed out that he strongly hinted at a ground war. On this day, Hezbollah’s acting leader Naim Kasem responded in a televised speech that he was ready for a ground war.

Previously, on the 27th, the Israeli military carried out an airstrike on a residential building in the Dahiyeh area, a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern part of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, killing Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders. Kassem is the first Hezbollah leader to appear since then. Kassem also said that “there are deputy commanders” who will replace the slain commanders.

On the plane returning to the Vatican in Rome after a visit to Belgium, Pope Francis said of Israel’s airstrikes on Lebanon, which resulted in civilian casualties, “It has gone beyond the moral law,” and added, “War is inherently immoral, but the rules of war give it a certain degree of morality.” strongly criticized.

Following the armed conflict with the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, which has continued for a year, Israel, which has expanded its front to include Hezbollah and Houthi rebels, has not hidden its plan to overturn the Middle East system by provoking Iran, the center of the ‘Axis of Resistance’, saying, “Iran The New York Times pointed out that fears of an all-out war in the Middle East are spreading. However, at a security conference convened by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Said Ali Khamenei after Nasrallah’s death, conservatives in Iran insisted on a hard-line response, while moderates, including President Massoud Fezeshkian, called for restraint, leaving Iran at a crossroads regarding its response to Israel. The newspaper added. Iran’s worsening economic situation and weakened military power due to Western sanctions are cited as reasons for hesitating an all-out war.

Skepticism is growing as to whether the United States has the will and ability to suppress Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who continues his ‘my way’ move, heightening the sense of crisis in the Middle East. U.S. President Joe Biden said he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on the phone at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on this day and said, “We must avoid all-out war.” However, expectations that the Biden administration will prevent the escalation of war in the Middle East have become distant, given that Israel has not accepted calls for a ceasefire and continues its strong offensive in the conflict with Hezbollah following the war in Gaza.

The New York Times assessed that the United States led the 1978 Camp David Agreement and the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Agreement, which led to peace between Israel and Egypt, but has now lost the ability to stabilize the situation in the Middle East. Richard Haas, chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, told this newspaper, “If America’s policy toward Israel changes, it will change slowly.” This can also be understood to mean that Prime Minister Netanyahu is acting boldly because he believes that the United States cannot easily control Israel’s dominance.

Washington/correspondent Lee Bon-young, reporter Kim Mina, senior reporter Park Byeong-su ebon@hani.co.kr

Source: Korean