Photo: Israel launched an attack into Lebanon on the 22nd, causing casualties. \AFP

Over the past month, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have rapidly escalated. The Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement on the 18th saying that the Israeli military has approved a plan to launch military operations in Lebanon; Hezbollah issued a strong warning that “a full-scale conflict will break out.” UN Secretary-General Guterres said on the 21st that the risk of further expansion of the Middle East conflict is real and must be avoided; there is no way out through military means, and the people of the region and the world cannot let Lebanon “become another Gaza.”

[Ta Kung Pao News]According to the latest news, a leader of the Faqir Force, an armed branch of the Lebanese Islamic organization “Islamic Prayer Group”, was killed by the Israeli army in eastern Lebanon on the 22nd. The “Islamic Prayer Group” is regarded as an ally of Hamas.

Since the outbreak of a new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October last year, Hezbollah in Lebanon has repeatedly used rockets and other weapons to launch attacks from southern Lebanon to northern Israel, hoping to force the Israeli army to cease fire in the Gaza Strip. After the Israeli army launched a ground offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah in May this year, Hezbollah stepped up its attacks and the conflict between the two sides escalated significantly.

US worries Hezbollah could destroy Iron Dome

On the 6th of this month, the Israeli Northern Command announced the completion of the deployment of a large-scale offensive against Hezbollah. On the 18th, the Israeli army announced the approval of the plan to launch military operations in Lebanon.

Lebanese Hezbollah leader Nasrallah warned on the 19th that Hezbollah does not want the war to expand, but if Israel goes to war with Hezbollah, Hezbollah will “fight indefinitely.”

The current tense situation has caused widespread concern. Analysts point out that Hezbollah in Lebanon has more rockets, missiles and drones than Hamas, which are more advanced and destructive. If the Israeli army launches a large-scale attack on it, the counterattack may be unbearable for Israel. Three US officials told CNN that the US is worried that if a full-scale war breaks out, Hezbollah’s missiles, drones and other weapons will be enough to defeat Israel’s air defense system, including the “Iron Dome” system that Israel is most proud of.

The Israeli military previously estimated that Hezbollah has about 150,000 rockets and missiles, including thousands of precision-guided missiles, some of which can accurately strike deep into Israeli territory. The US magazine Foreign Affairs pointed out that in the past few months, assessments by US and Israeli intelligence agencies have shown that if a war breaks out between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, Israel’s military and civilian infrastructure will suffer heavy losses.

Seeing the increasing possibility of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon, UN Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep concern at a press conference on the 21st. He pointed out that further escalation of the Israeli-Lebanese military conflict will only bring more suffering and damage to the two countries and bring disastrous consequences to the region. Guterres urged all parties to immediately commit to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1701 aimed at ending the Lebanon War and return to the state of cessation of hostilities.

Israeli troops bomb Gaza refugee camp again

The Israeli army continued to attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah on the 21st. Shells landed in a refugee camp near the International Committee of the Red Cross office, killing at least 25 Palestinians and injuring more than 50 people. The Red Cross issued a statement strongly condemning the attack. The statement said that according to international humanitarian law, all parties to the conflict have the obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians and destroying civilian facilities. The Israeli army said that after preliminary investigation, there was no sign that the Israeli army launched an attack in the safe zone.

The Israeli army attacked a residential square in the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City and several buildings in the Tufa community in northeastern Gaza City on the 22nd, killing at least 42 people. The Gaza Ministry of Health said that many victims were still buried under the rubble and “ambulances and civil defense personnel could not reach them.”

Analysts point out that Israel’s recent intensification of attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip shows that after Prime Minister Netanyahu dissolved the wartime cabinet in the middle of this month, he is more dependent on far-right forces to maintain his power. In fact, the differences between Netanyahu and the Israeli military and the US government are intensifying.

On the 18th, Netanyahu accused the United States of “withholding” military aid, and a White House spokesman retorted that “I don’t know what he is talking about.” The White House subsequently canceled the high-level meeting between the two countries originally scheduled for the 20th.

Israeli military spokesman Hajari publicly stated on the 19th that Hamas cannot be eliminated and that the idea of ​​making them disappear is simply “blindsided people”. Netanyahu’s office issued a statement to refute this, reiterating that Israel is still committed to eliminating Hamas and that the Israeli army should undoubtedly do its utmost to this end.

(AFP/Al Jazeera/CNN)