Refer Report
A step towards peace in West Asia was the agreement and implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanon-based terrorist/insurgent group Hezbollah. The conflict erupted on October 7 last year when operatives of the Gaza-based Hamas organization carried out terrorist attacks in some border areas of Israel. Lebanon-based Hezbollah also entered the conflict alongside Hamas to encircle Israel. Hezbollah is not just a terrorist organization in Lebanon. It has also emerged as a viable political party in that country. But Hezbollah’s leaders have consistently tried to maintain their identity as an insurgent who carries out terrorist attacks rather than a political party. He was consistently supported by Iran’s fanatical and religious leadership. This has cost the Lebanese and Hezbollah supporters dearly. Israel has cut off the entire ranks of Hezbollah’s leadership. However, the remnants of the Nirnayaka state have not abated much in their propensity for war and brutal attacks. Fortunately the political leadership in Lebanon showed the wisdom of a ceasefire. Even war-torn Israel needed it. Now Israel has to actually ‘fight’ on only one front, the Gaza Strip. The likelihood of airstrikes by Iran and, to a lesser extent, the Houthi rebels, is greatly reduced. Now the question is, will Israel accept the final ceasefire from this ceasefire? Because until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, West Asia cannot be truly pacified. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has so far acted irresponsibly in resolving the conflict. More than 45 thousand civilians have died in Gaza. Chief among the reasons for Israel delaying the operation on Gaza was the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. But most of them have already been killed in this bloody conflict. Hamas leader Yahya Shinwar, there in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed by Israel. Then the question will arise that what is the purpose of continuing the war?
Under the cease-fire settlement, Israeli forces will withdraw from Lebanon in stages within its borders. Hezbollah’s base will also remain in the interior of Lebanon, rather than along the Israel-Lebanon border. Lebanese soldiers will be stationed in the border area. Alongside them will be a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Israel-Hezbollah buffer zone.
One of the reasons Israel approved the cease-fire is that despite so many Hezbollah insurgents being killed, the fire attacks on Israel have not stopped. As recently as late last week, some rockets were fired by Hezbollah into the land of Israel. The Netanyahu government seems to have realized that no matter how hard it squeezes, neither the Hezbollah rebels nor their weapons stockpile can be completely destroyed. Just as a few thousand were killed in the conflict in Lebanon, nearly 100 people lost their lives in Israel. 1 million civilians were displaced in Lebanon and 60 thousand in Israel. This means that it is the common people who have to pay the price for the Israeli-Hezbollah war fever. The current ceasefire is temporary for 60 days. A similar ceasefire was held in 2006 as well. But at that time, the Lebanese army was not able to control Hezbollah sufficiently. Also then, as now, there was no provision for UN teams to deter Hezbollah from using weapons against the rebels. So if Iran cheats, or if either Israel or Hizbullah gets fired up, the possibility of a war again is not at all improbable. After 60 days, Donald Trump will be the President of the United States. They may expect different formulas and equations for peace in West Asia. Apart from this, there are unanswered questions like how long the operation will last in Gaza, what will be Iran’s role. For the time being, this cease-fire will prevent more and totally unnecessary casualties, just enough.
Source: Marathi