English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 02/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it
on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new
will not match the old.
Luke 05/33-39: “Then they said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples, like
the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat
and drink.’Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make wedding-guests fast while the
bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be
taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’He also told them a
parable: ‘No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment;
otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the
old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will
burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new
wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine
desires new wine, but says, “The old is good.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on October 02/2024
Elias Bejjani/Video: To hypocrite Politicians, Patriarch Al Raei, &
Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude & submission. Demand
that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: To hypocrite Politicians, Patriarch Al Raei, &
Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude & submission. Demand
that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
Elias Bejjani/ Video: Lebanon is an Occupied, Failed, and Rogue State with Its
Leaders, Politicians, and Religious Figures as Mere Puppets. The Solution is to
Place the Entire Country Under International Guardianship.
Elias Bejjani/ Video & Text: Lebanon is an Occupied, Failed, and Rogue State
with Its Leaders, Politicians, and Religious Figures as Mere Puppets. The
Solution is to Place the Entire Country Under International Guardianship.
Arab Analysts and the Bitter Reality: The Land of Saints Will Not Be Silenced by
Murderers and Mercenaries/Summarized and translated from Arabic by
eliasbejjaninews.com website Publisher and Editor/ October 2, 2024
Israeli airstrikes pummel Dahieh after evacuation warnings
Israel army strikes Jnah and Kuwait embassy roundabout in south Beirut
Israeli military releases footage of 'previous ground operations' in Lebanon
UNIFIL, Hezbollah, army source say no Israeli ground incursion in south Lebanon
Israel orders evacuation of 29 south Lebanon towns as it claims ground op
'Only the beginning': Hezbollah targets central Israel in tribute to Nasrallah
Life after Nasrallah: Iran to lean on other proxies in confronting Israel/With
Hezbollah severely compromised, Iran will lean on its other proxies to confront
Israel.
Israel calls for evacuations in Lebanon as Hezbollah denies ground incursion
began
Evacuations from Lebanon: What We Know
UN Chief Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon
UNIFIL: Any crossing into Lebanon constitutes a violation of Lebanese
sovereignty and territorial integrity and a violation of Resolution 1701
Israel announces the assassination of Hezbollah’s financial official and carries
out raids in two areas on the outskirts of the suburb
Egypt Criticizes Israel’s ‘Serious Escalation’ in Lebanon
What Does Iran Have in Store for Hezbollah?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October
02/2024
Israel's F-15I Ra'am 'Thunder' fighter jets used to target Hezbollah leaders in
Lebanon
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 02/2024
Netanyahu vows strong retaliation against Iran following missile attacks on
Israel
IDF: No Israelis wounded from Iranian attack - there will be consequences
‘Iranian missile attack on Israel significant escalation,’ US says
Netanyahu to Iranian People: ‘Israel Stands With You’
US sanctions extremist West Bank settler group for violence against Palestinians
Gunmen kill at least 6 in Tel Aviv shortly before air raid sirens sound
MKs from coalition, opposition call for strikes on strategic Iranian assets
Canadian MPs join Australian, New Zealand peers in pushing for Palestine
statehood
Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in seized mining areas, UN says
Official: US Forces Accounted for after Reported Rocket Attack in Baghdad
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on October 02/2024
Israel Acts Alone...A string of startling victories has opened new pathways to
freedom in the Middle East/BERNARD-HENRI LÉVY/The Tablet/OCTOBER 01, 2024
Defeating Hezbollah Will Strengthen the West/Con Coughlin/Gatestone
Institute/October 1, 2024
The Latest ‘September Turning Point’ of Arab History/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/October
02/2024
No… Iran Did Not Give Hassan Nasrallah Up/Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/October
02/2024
Has the Hour of ‘Abandonment’ Arrived?/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/October
02/2024
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published
on October 02/2024
Elias Bejjani/Video: To hypocrite Politicians,
Patriarch Al Raei, & Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude &
submission. Demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2D7VqT67i4&t=18s
Elias Bejjani/October 01/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: To hypocrite Politicians,
Patriarch Al Raei, & Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude &
submission. Demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
Elias Bejjani/October 01/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/135116/
To all the hypocrites, to the head of the Maronite Patriarchate who hides behind
lukewarm positions, and to those who claim to be sovereignists: free yourselves
from your cowardice and submission. Together, you must turn to the UN Security
Council and demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-armed terrorist proxy, is leading Lebanon towards utter
destruction with its reckless rocket launches on Israel. Israel, who is
defending itself, has eliminated the majority of Hezbollah's leadership,
including the notorious Hassan Nasrallah. Yet, many Lebanese politicians,
clerics, officials and political parties remain cowardly and shamefully passive.
Their lukewarm stances against Hezbollah’s occupation of Lebanon are
disgraceful. It’s time to wake up, join forces, and seek for UN international
intervention.
What are you waiting for? Act now! Break free from, Procrastination. Dhimmitude
cowardice, and betrayal. Leave behind your narcissistic dens, tear apart your
selfish power schemes, and fear God. Defend your people and your nation.
Raise your voices across Lebanon and demand an immediate halt to the military
actions of Hezbollah, this criminal and barbaric Iranian tool, alongside its
jihadist thugs and hateful leftist groups. Demand an immediate cessation of
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel without any conditions. Call for the dismantling
of Hezbollah and the arrest of its treacherous, deceitful leaders. Insist on the
disarmament of Hezbollah before any elections or government formations can take
place.
You opportunists and Iscariots are the ones who enabled Hezbollah’s rise in
Lebanon and blessed its occupation. Repent and pat the penances, or resign and
spare us your betrayal.
As for the leaders of Lebanon’s corrupt political parties, it’s time for you to
shut up and awaken from your ignorance and inhumanity.
In conclusion, Lebanon is a failed, occupied and rogue state ruled by traitors
and Judas-like figures. The UN Security Council must intervene immediately,
place Lebanon under international guardianship, enforce international
resolutions related to Lebanon by force, and prosecute corrupt leaders like
Nabih Berri, Najib Mikati, and the disgraceful Abdullah Bou Habib.
In conclusion, There will be no resurrection for Lebanon as long as Hezbollah
is in full control and puppets official govern it.
Elias Bejjani/ Video: Lebanon
is an Occupied, Failed, and Rogue State with Its Leaders, Politicians, and
Religious Figures as Mere Puppets. The Solution is to Place the Entire Country
Under International Guardianship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBnTHWYCDmI&t=79s
Elias Bejjani/September 30/2024
Elias Bejjani/ Video & Text: Lebanon is an Occupied, Failed, and Rogue State
with Its Leaders, Politicians, and Religious Figures as Mere Puppets. The
Solution is to Place the Entire Country Under International Guardianship.
Elias Bejjani/September 30/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/135066/
Lebanon is a failed, rogue, and occupied state, held hostage by the Iranian
terrorist proxy Hezbollah. Its sovereignty has been hijacked, and the nation's
institutions have crumbled under the weight of corruption, betrayal, and
external control. Lebanon no longer resembles the proud, independent country it
once was—it has been twisted into a puppet regime serving Iran's destructive
ambitions, with Hezbollah as the tool of its occupation.
This reality cannot be ignored any longer. Lebanon is a collapsed state in every
sense of the word: economically, politically, and socially. Its leaders, whether
politicians, clerics, or officials, are nothing but castrated puppets, willingly
serving Hezbollah’s agenda in exchange for power, personal gains, and the spoils
of corruption. The Lebanese state has become a façade, void of any true
authority, with its military, security, and judicial institutions rendered
ineffective, merely extensions of Hezbollah’s control.
Hezbollah has, for decades, spread its terror under the false pretense of
"resistance" and "liberating Palestine," all while entrenching itself deeper in
Lebanon’s governmental and civil institutions, devouring the country from
within. Meanwhile, the Lebanese people, especially the Shiite community, have
been manipulated and victimized by this destructive force. South Lebanon, the
Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs have been reduced to ruins in both
spirit and infrastructure, driven into the ground by Hezbollah’s reckless
actions and Iran’s expansionist agenda.
The international community cannot remain silent. Lebanon must be placed under
the full authority of the United Nations, and we call upon the UN to invoke
Chapter VII of its charter to rescue Lebanon from this abyss. The United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), already present with thousands of troops,
must take charge and enforce the implementation of UN Resolutions 1559, 1701,
and 1680, which call for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the restoration of
Lebanese sovereignty.
The Lebanese people cannot free themselves from this occupation without external
intervention. Hezbollah’s reign of terror is too deeply embedded in the
country’s political and security structures. This rogue organization, controlled
by the Iranian regime, thrives on assassination, intimidation, and the
systematic destruction of Lebanon’s national identity. Its dream of establishing
an Iranian-style Islamic Republic in Lebanon is a threat not only to the
Lebanese people but to the entire region.
Arab nations, once allies of Lebanon, have turned their backs, seeing the
country as a lost cause, while the West remains indecisive. But the time for
hesitation is over. The world must recognize that a Lebanon under Hezbollah’s
control is not just a Lebanese problem—it is a global threat. Terrorist cells,
weapons caches, and militia camps flourish under Hezbollah’s protection,
endangering peace and stability far beyond Lebanon’s borders.
Lebanon’s sovereign leaders, true patriots who still value independence, are few
and far between, and they cannot act alone. It is now the duty of the Lebanese
diaspora, especially those who cherish the values of freedom and sovereignty, to
step forward. They must mobilize, speak out, and pressure the UN and the
international community to declare Lebanon a failed state and place it under
international guardianship. The Lebanese army and security forces are powerless
under Hezbollah’s domination. Only the international community, through direct
intervention, can liberate Lebanon from this occupation.
Hezbollah is a criminal organization, masquerading as a political movement. It
does not represent the Lebanese people. It is time to stop pretending that
Lebanon can recover on its own or with half-hearted measures. Without
international intervention, Lebanon will continue to sink deeper into chaos,
corruption, and ruin.
We call upon the world’s leaders, particularly those with ties to Lebanon and
its diaspora, to take immediate action. The Lebanese state must be declared
rogue and placed under Chapter VII, with UNIFIL given full authority to restore
order and enforce peace. This is the only viable solution to end Hezbollah’s
stranglehold, dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and rebuild Lebanon as a
free and independent nation. The time for decisive action is now—before it is
too late.
Despite the heavy and devastating blows Hezbollah has suffered in recent weeks
at the hands of Israel—especially the assassination of its terrorist leader
Hassan Nasrallah and the elimination of many of its top figures, along with the
destruction of most of its Shiite strongholds—Hezbollah remains firmly in
control of Lebanon. Incredibly, despite the catastrophic losses, Hezbollah
continues to govern the country, dominate its institutions, and maintain its
iron grip over Lebanon’s decision-making process.
This grim reality is a direct result of the widespread corruption among
Lebanon’s political class. The country’s leaders—whether politicians, religious
figures, or military officials—have sold their loyalty to Hezbollah and its
Iranian masters in exchange for personal gain, power, and protection. Instead of
standing up to Hezbollah and working to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, they have
become complicit in its domination. Their betrayal has left Lebanon defenseless,
effectively handing the reins of power to a terrorist organization even in its
weakened state.
The tragic truth is that Hezbollah, even after these significant Israeli
strikes, still holds the country hostage. Lebanon’s government is nothing more
than a puppet regime, manipulated by Hezbollah, which continues to act as Iran’s
proxy. This unholy alliance between corrupt Lebanese elites and Hezbollah has
led to the complete collapse of the state, rendering Lebanon a failed and rogue
country.
Therefore, the urgent call for international intervention, specifically under
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, is more critical than ever. The
Lebanese people are unable to free themselves from this internal occupation
without outside help. Hezbollah’s power runs too deep, and as long as the
country’s corrupt leaders continue to serve its interests, Lebanon will remain a
captive nation. It is time for the world to act, place Lebanon under full
international guardianship, and finally end Hezbollah’s reign of terror.
Arab Analysts and the Bitter Reality:
The Land of Saints Will Not Be Silenced by Murderers and Mercenaries
Summarized and translated from Arabic by eliasbejjaninews.com website Publisher
and Editor/ October 2, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/135135/
In a compelling analysis published today on our LCCC web site, Colonel Charbel
Barakat delivered a scathing critique of the shame, ignorance, and delusion
rampant in many Arab media outlets. He unmasked the so-called “analysts” who
peddle hatred for Israel, glorify war and death, and spin webs of deceit to
ensnare the Arab masses. Below are excerpts from his powerful piece, available
on our website.
Barakat writes, “Arab analysts continue to drag us back into the dark ages with
their ‘retrogressive’ analyses, clinging to the shattered dream of Abdel
Nasser’s era. Trapped in outdated ideologies, they’ve led Arab nations into
decay, stagnating their development and crippling their ability to govern. This
backwardness, cloaked in religious fundamentalism, has turned the region into a
breeding ground for hopelessness, where closed intellectual horizons force many
to flee, seeking refuge in the very Western nations they claim to loathe but
cannot survive without.”
He continues, “Our stance toward Israel remains resolute, despite the shifting
tides. When some enlightened Arab Gulf leaders, educated in the West, sought to
partner with their more advanced neighbor for the sake of progress, they were
slandered as traitors. Meanwhile, when the Iranian regime engineered crises to
snuff out any spark of progress, these so-called experts quickly embraced evil
and terror, without a second thought to the chaos they were unleashing.” Barakat
lambasts the Arab media, which has willingly embraced lies, false dreams, and
blind hatred, while standing idly by as the region is consumed by destruction.
“Had they the courage to confront their limited vision, countless tragedies and
lives could have been spared.”
Today, Lebanon is reeling from a similar tragedy. The Iranian-backed terrorist
militia “The Evil Hezbollah” has not only crushed Lebanon’s intellectual and
liberating spirit, but has suffocated the nation under its oppressive ideology.
The result? A country once a beacon of prosperity now lies in ruins, its people
manipulated as pawns in Iran’s brutal, self-serving agenda. “Lebanon,” Barakat
warns, “has fallen under the intoxicating influence of the very analysts who
perpetuate these poisonous narratives. Their media houses echo the same twisted
logic, unable to discern between an aerial explosion and the aftermath of their
own complicity.” The greatest tragedy, Barakat points out, is how these analysts
celebrate every pathetic missile Iran lobs toward Israel, oblivious to the
catastrophic consequences. Graduates of the ‘Iranian Mahdi’ school of thought,
they cheer while their homeland burns. “What a sad state of affairs we’ve
reached.”It is heartbreaking to witness Lebanon’s descent, with no voice of
truth to break the silence or differentiate between intent and action. The
leadership of the militia has failed miserably, and no one dares to stand in its
way as the country spirals into oblivion. Even after all the suffering, bombing,
and devastation, there are still those who foolishly rejoice at the sight of
Iran’s missiles aimed at Israeli cities, as though this will somehow restore the
shattered future of their children.
Iran has played with fire, igniting the Middle East as fuel for its expansionist
ambitions. But the flames have turned back on them, scorching their own soil.
Only when the fires die out will the true heroes emerge. Barakat concludes with
a powerful call to action: “Let the so-called ‘philosophers’ of Lebanon’s media
be silent. Each must recognize their own limitations, as the old saying goes.
Practical solutions, not hollow rhetoric, will save Lebanon. Winter is coming,
and neither prayers nor false promises will feed the hungry or warm the
freezing. The country, abandoned by leadership and wisdom, is barreling toward
its own destruction, unable to tell its friends from its enemies.”With a heart
heavy with love for his homeland, Barakat ends his piece with a hope for
Lebanon’s rebirth: “Welcome to Lebanon, the land for which we bled. May God have
mercy on those who could discern a righteous cause from cowardly silence. Rise,
noble citizens, speak your truth, and march forward. Life is waiting for you,
and a bright future beckons. The Land of Saints will not be buried by murderers
and mercenaries.”
Israeli airstrikes pummel Dahieh after evacuation
warnings
Agence France Presse/October 01/2024
At least 17 Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs early Wednesday, as
the Israeli military said it was targeting alleged Hezbollah sites and issued
several evacuation orders. AFP correspondents heard multiple explosions and saw
smoke rising in one area while a fire appeared to burn.
The Israeli military said early Wednesday that it was "currently striking
Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut." Israel has repeatedly bombarded Beirut's
southern suburbs since last week, a densely-populated Hezbollah bastion where
Israel says it is targeting sites belonging to the group.
A massive raid in the area on Friday killed Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee had earlier on X issued
several orders for residents to leave."You are located near dangerous Hezbollah
facilities, which the IDF (Israeli military) will act against with force in the
near future," read one of the warnings, which mentioned the area of Haret Hreik.
Israel army strikes Jnah and Kuwait embassy roundabout in
south Beirut
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/October 01/2024
The Israeli military said it launched a fresh strike on south Beirut on Tuesday.
"The IDF (Israeli military) conducted a precise strike in Beirut," the statement
said, without offering details, while local media outlets reported simultaneous
strikes on an apartment in a building in Jnah near al-Zahraa Hospital, and on
another region in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israeli strikes hit two areas of
south Beirut. NNA reported a "violent enemy strike that targeted the area
between Jnah and Ouzai in the vicinity of al-Zahraa Hospital", then another
minutes later on a roundabout near the Kuwaiti embassy.
One of the airstrikes struck a residential building, causing damage and blowing
out windows in the area. It appeared to hit an apartment in the building on the
southern highway leading up to Beirut international airport, and about 100
meters from the Iranian Embassy. The Israeli military said Mohammed Jaafar
Qassir was killed in the strike Tuesday afternoon. It said Qassir was in charge
of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 that ships weapons from Iran to Lebanon and he
supervised Hezbollah’s development of precision-guided missiles. The Israeli
military said Qassir also sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah in
recent years. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli
claim. Qassir’s brother Ahmad carried out a suicide attack in the southern
Lebanese port city of Tyre in 1982 that killed dozens of Israeli soldiers. His
death is marked annually as “Martyr's Day.”
Israeli military releases footage of 'previous ground operations' in Lebanon
Associated Press/October 01/2024
The Israeli army has been carrying out secretive ground operations to destroy
Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanese villages close to the border for the past
year, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday. He said that the
current ground maneuvers in Lebanon are an expansion of the previous year’s
operations. The military released footage of what it said were Israeli soldiers
uncovering tunnels and weapons in at least three Lebanese villages. He said that
troops destroyed more than 700 Hezbollah sites, including tunnels carved deep
into the hillside. They included separate rooms for storing weapons and what
seemed to be bedrooms outfitted with mattresses. Hagari said that Hezbollah was
preparing to carry out an Oct. 7-style attack against Israel, based on the
placement of weapons slicks and maps uncovered during operations that refer to a
plan called “Conquer the Galilee.”
UNIFIL, Hezbollah, army source say no Israeli ground
incursion in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/October 01/2024
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Tuesday there was "no ground
incursion" going on in the south of the country after Israel said it was
carrying out limited raids there. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP there
was "no ground incursion right now", after Israel's military said it began
"limited, localized and targeted raids" against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah also denied any Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon. In its first
statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah
spokesman Mohammed Afifi said reports that Israeli forces had entered Lebanon
were “false claims.”He said Hezbollah fighters are ready “to have direct
confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon to inflict
casualties among them.”An Israeli military official said the troops were within
walking distance of the border, focused on villages hundreds of meters from
Israel. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military
regulations, said there had been no clashes yet with Hezbollah fighters on the
ground. A Lebanese army source also said Tuesday that the force had seen no
Israeli ground incursion. "We have not observed any penetration by Israeli enemy
forces into Lebanese territory," the Lebanese army source told AFP, requesting
anonymity..
Israel orders evacuation of 29 south Lebanon towns as it
claims ground op
Naharnet/October 01/2024
The Israeli army on Tuesday called on the residents of 29 towns in south Lebanon
to evacuate to the area north of the Awali River, as it launched what it called
a “limited” ground incursion. It identified the towns as Yaroun, Ain Ebel,
Maroun al-Ras, al-Tiri, Hadatha, Aita al-Jabal, Jmeijmeh, Toulin, Deir Aames,
Burj Qalaway, al-Bayada, Zebqin, Jbal al-Botm, Srebbine, al-Shaitiyeh, al-Knaysseh,
al-Hinniyeh, Maarakeh, al- Ghandouriyeh, Deir Qanoun Malkiyat al-Sahel, Burj al-Shamali,
Ebel al-Saqi, Srifa, Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, al-Abbasiyeh, al-Rashidiyeh, Bint
Jbeil and Aitaroun. “The Israeli army does not want to harm you and for your own
safety you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah
members, installations and combat equipment is putting their life in danger. Any
home used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted,” the
army warned. “You must immediately head to the north of the Awali River, save
your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” it added. The Awali River, some
60 kilometers from the border, is farther than the Litani River, which marks the
northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer
between Israel and Hezbollah after the 2006 war. The Litani River is 30
kilometers from the border. “Be careful, you are not allowed to go south. Going
south could put your life in danger. We will let you know when it is safe to
return home,” the Israeli army said. The orders came hours after Israel sent
ground forces into southern Lebanon in what it described as a limited incursion
against the Hezbollah militant group. The evacuation order was posted by the
Israeli military's Arabic spokesman on the social media platform X.
'Only the beginning': Hezbollah targets central Israel in tribute to Nasrallah
Agence France Presse/October 01/2024
Hezbollah on Tuesday said it fired salvos of a new kind of medium-range missile,
called the Fadi 4, at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near
Tel Aviv. The Iran-backed group "launched salvoes of Fadi 4 rockets at the
Glilot base of the military intelligence's unit 8200 and the Mossad headquarters
located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv," it said in a statement. Hezbollah said it
targeted Tel Aviv's outskirts in tribute to slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah and in response to Israel's massacres and to the targeting of
civilians. An Israeli military official said a man in his 50s was wounded.Air
raid sirens were activated in central Israel Tuesday and explosions were heard
in Tel Aviv."Sirens sounded in central Israel following projectile launches that
crossed from Lebanon," the military said in a statement. Hezbollah had also
launched projectiles at Israeli soldiers near the border after Israel said it
launched a limited ground incursion. In its first statement since Israel
announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afifi
said Hezbollah's firing of medium-range missiles toward central Israel earlier
on Tuesday "is only the beginning.". He also said reports that Israeli forces
had entered Lebanon were "false claims" and that Hezbollah fighters are ready
"to have direct confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter
Lebanon to inflict casualties among them." The Israeli military announced
tighter restrictions on public gatherings across the country including in
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, limiting the number of people that can gather outside
ahead of the Jewish new year. "In accordance with the assessment of the
situation by the Home Front Command, it was decided to change the guidelines for
the public," Israel's home command announced in a statement, adding that
gatherings would be held with "a limit of up to 30 people in an open area and up
to 300 people in a structure". Later in the day, Hezbollah said its fighters
launched "a salvo of Fadi-4 rockets at the Sde Dov air base in Tel Aviv", adding
the attack came in defense of Lebanon and "in response to the targeting of
civilians and the massacres that the enemy carried out".The group also dedicated
the attack on the disused base to Nasrallah.
Life after Nasrallah: Iran to lean on other proxies in
confronting Israel/With Hezbollah severely compromised, Iran will lean on its
other proxies to confront Israel.
Seth J. Frantzman/ The Jerusalem Post/October 01/2024
Iran’s regime may now need to lean more on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and the
Houthis in Yemen to confront Israel after the assassination of Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah and many of the terrorist group’s commanders. Its losses are so
large that Iran will be forced to contend with increasing threats to Israel from
other fronts. The Iranian regime under its former president and under the IRGC
worked to create a multi-front threat to the Jewish state. However, the front in
Gaza has been greatly weakened and the front in Lebanon could collapse.
Iran has been prodding the Iraqis and Houthis to strike at Israel increasingly
in recent weeks. The Iraqi militias, for instance, have targeted areas in the
Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights, and also Eilat. The Houthis have twice tried
to target Israel, on September 15 and 26. This illustrates how Tehran is using
these groups to make up for the pressure Jerusalem is putting on Hezbollah.
Iranian-backed proxies
The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq include a large number of different groups.
These are often gathered under the umbrella of a group called the Popular
Mobilization Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi. When they attack Israel, they call
themselves the “Islamic Resistance.”
The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq include many different groups. These are
often gathered under the umbrella of a group called the Popular Mobilization
Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi. When they attack Israel, they call themselves the
“Islamic Resistance.”
The Iraqi militias have strength in numbers. They likely have up to 100,000 men
under arms. Many of them are not linked to the more quality units that are close
to Iran’s IRGC. Therefore, the more dangerous units are only a few militias with
thousands of men each. These include Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba,
and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
Kataib Hezbollah used drones to kill three Americans in Jordan in January. The
group has also targeted Saudi Arabia in past years and is also involved in plots
to target US forces. The Iraqi militias have carried out more than 100 attacks
on American forces in Iraq and Syria since October 2023. They began their
attacks after the Hamas attack on Israel.
Differences with Houthis
The Houthis, by contrast, have more serious weapon systems and appear more
disciplined than the Iraqi militias. They are farther away from Israel, at some
1,500 miles, and don’t have a land corridor to reach the borders of Israel.
However, they have shown an increasing willingness to target Tel Aviv and areas
in central Israel using long-range ballistic missiles.
They also have long-range cruise missiles and drones. The Houthis used a drone
to target Tel Aviv in July, killing an Israeli man. They have also targeted
Eilat. According to reports, they have increased their targeting of ships in the
Red Sea, including flying projectiles near US warships in recent days. This is
likely part of their support for Hezbollah.
Now that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, Iran will
increasingly need to lean on the Iraqi militias and Houthis in the months and
years to come. This is because Nasrallah was a key part of Iran’s strategy in
the region, and he coordinated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and other
groups. His loss will be felt by Iran’s militia network throughout the region.
Israel calls for evacuations in Lebanon as Hezbollah
denies ground incursion began
Julia Frankel And Bassem Mroue/JERUSALEM (AP)/October 1, 2024
The Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen
Lebanese border communities hours after announcing the start of “limited” ground
operations against Hezbollah. The militant group denied Israeli troops had
entered Lebanon.
Israel advised people to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60
kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River,
which marks the northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone that was intended to serve
as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war. “You must
immediately head north of the Awali River to save yourselves, and leave your
houses immediately,” said the statement posted by the Israeli military's Arabic
spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on the platform X. The warning applied to
communities south of the Litani.
The border region has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides
have traded fire. But the scope of the evacuation warning raised questions as to
how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon as it presses ahead with a
rapidly escalating campaign against Hezbollah.
Anticipating more rocket attacks from Hezbollah, the Israeli army announced new
restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches. Questions raised over
whether Israeli forces entered
An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in
armored trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm ground
forces had crossed into Lebanon.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement of an incursion, U.S. officials on Monday said
Israel had described launching small ground raids inside Lebanon as it prepared
for a wider operation.
Neither the Lebanese army nor a U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which
patrol southern Lebanon, have confirmed that Israeli forces entered. UNIFIL said
any such cross-border operation would be a “dangerous development” and a
violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
In its first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations,
Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif dismissed what he said were “false claims” of
an Israeli incursion. He said Hezbollah is ready for “direct confrontation with
enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon.” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the
Israeli military’s top spokesperson, claimed troops were conducting “localized
ground raids” on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon to ensure that Israeli
citizens could return to their homes in the north. In a briefing later in the
day, he said Israel had carried out dozens of small ground operations inside
Lebanon going all the way back to Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began firing rockets
into Israel following the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
He said Israeli forces had crossed the border to collect information and destroy
Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels and arsenals. He showed photographs
purporting to show Israeli soldiers inside homes in southern Lebanon. It was not
immediately possible to confirm those claims. An Israeli military official said
troops taking part in the latest incursion were within walking distance of the
border, focused on villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israel. The
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations,
said there had been no clashes yet with Hezbollah fighters. The Israeli military
was accused of lying to media in 2021 when it released a statement implying that
ground troops had entered Gaza. The military played down the incident as a
misunderstanding, but well-sourced military commentators in Israel said it was
part of a ruse to lure Hamas into battle. Israel strikes more targets and
Hezbollah fires rockets
Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon through the night
and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut. The Israeli military
official said Hezbollah had launched rockets at central Israel, setting off air
raid sirens and wounding a man in his 50s. Hezbollah said it fired salvos of a
new kind of medium-range missile, called the Fadi 4, at the headquarters of two
Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv. Afif, the Hezbollah spokesman, said
the missile attack “is only the beginning.”
The Israeli military official said Hezbollah had also launched projectiles at
Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7
attack into Israel ignited the war in Gaza. Israel has launched retaliatory
airstrikes and the conflict has steadily escalated. In recent weeks Israel has
unleashed a punishing wave of airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, killing
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders, as well as
many civilians. Hagari said the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the
last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006 had not been enforced and that southern
Lebanon was “swarming with Hezbollah terrorists and weapons.”That resolution had
called for Hezbollah to withdraw from the area between the border and the Litani
River and for the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers to patrol the region.
Israel says those and other provisions were never enforced. Lebanon has long
accused Israel of violating other terms of the resolution.
Israeli official says no plans to march on Beirut
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that his country is willing to
deploy the army in support of the resolution if there is a cease-fire. Lebanon’s
armed forces would not be able to impose an agreement on the far more powerful
Hezbollah. The military statements indicated that Israel might focus its ground
operation on the narrow strip along the border, rather than launching a larger
invasion aimed at destroying Hezbollah, as it has done in Gaza against the
Palestinian Hamas. The military official said marching to Beirut, as Israeli
forces did during their 1982 invasion of Lebanon, is “not on the
table.”Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and each escalation
over the past year has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could
draw in Iran and the United States, which has rushed military assets to the
region in support of Israel.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah —
including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader Nasrallah — and seeks to
step up the pressure on the group. The last time Israel and Hezbollah engaged in
ground combat was a monthlong war in 2006.
There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said
soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months.
Over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in Israeli strikes over the past
two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health
Ministry. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes.
Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of thousands of
fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The last round of
fighting in 2006 ended in a stalemate, and both sides have spent the past two
decades preparing for their next showdown.
Recent airstrikes wiping out most of Hezbollah’s top leadership and the
explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah
indicate that Israel has infiltrated deep inside the group’s upper echelons.
Hezbollah vowed Monday to keep fighting even after its recent losses. The
group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said in a televised statement Monday that
Hezbollah commanders killed in recent weeks have already been replaced.
European countries have begun pulling their diplomats and citizens out of
Lebanon. A British government-chartered flight is due to leave Beirut on
Wednesday to evacuate U.K. nationals. The U.K. has also sent 700 troops to a
base in the nearby island nation of Cyprus to prepare for a potential evacuation
of the estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon.
Evacuations from Lebanon: What We Know
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
Israel launched a ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating a conflict
against Hezbollah after a week of air strikes that have killed hundreds. Several
countries have begun evacuating their nationals from Lebanon or are planning to
do so.
- Britain -
Britain has chartered a commercial flight for its nationals that will depart
from Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport on Wednesday. The UK government
has said further flights may be arranged, depending on demand. It said it would
prioritize "vulnerable British nationals" for Wednesday's flight. Last week,
London announced the deployment of 700 soldiers to Cyprus to prepare for a
possible evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon.
- Canada -
Canada has reserved 800 seats on commercial planes to evacuate its citizens from
Lebanon, with the next flight scheduled to depart on Tuesday. About 45,000
Canadians are currently in Lebanon.
The Canadian military has set up emergency resources in Cyprus if commercial
flights are interrupted.
- Germany -
On Monday, Germany flew out its Beirut embassy's non-essential staff, their
dependents and some of its citizens in Lebanon with medical conditions.
About 110 passengers boarded the German air force A321 plane, which landed in
Berlin late in the evening. The Beirut embassy remained operational to help the
estimated 1,800 German citizens in Lebanon "in their departure via commercial
flights and other means", the government said.
"We are currently at a stage where we support the departure (of citizens) but we
are explicitly not in an evacuation scenario," a government spokesman said on
Monday.
- Japan -
Japan is urging its citizens to leave Lebanon on commercial flights and is
preparing military flights for their possible return, the government said on
Friday. C-2 military transport planes have been ordered to go to Jordan and
Greece to be on stand-by in case Japanese nationals need to be transported out
of the region. Japanese media said there were around 50 Japanese citizens
currently in Lebanon.
- Philippines -
The Philippines vowed last week to evacuate 11,000 citizens from Lebanon the
moment Israeli forces crossed the border to launch a ground offensive. "A ground
invasion will lead to mandatory repatriation," Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de
Vega said on Friday, adding the plan was to move thousands out of the country
via the sea. He did not provide details. Manila had earlier urged Filipinos to
leave Lebanon before commercial airlines stopped flying to Beirut. Millions of
Filipinos work in the Middle East. Around 90 percent of those in Lebanon are
female domestic workers.
- Portugal -
Portugal evacuated 44 people from Lebanon -- 28 nationals and their families --
by military plane via Cyprus on Saturday evening.
- Bulgaria -
A total of 89 Bulgarians evacuated from Lebanon -- mostly families with children
-- arrived in Sofia late Monday. A government plane is expected to make a second
flight on Tuesday.
Around 400 Bulgarians live in Lebanon, and so far, 160 of them have declared
they want to be evacuated from the country, according to deputy foreign minister
Elena Shekerletova.
- Refugees -
The United Nations Refugee agency said on Monday around 100,000 people had fled
to Syria from Lebanon due to Israeli air strikes. The UNHCR representative in
Syria said most evacuees were women and children. Around 80 percent were Syrian
nationals and 20 percent Lebanese.
Some 210,000 Palestinian refugees live in camps and informal settlements in
Lebanon, according to the UN children's agency UNICEF. An Israeli air strike hit
a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing several
inhabitants, Lebanon's official National News Agency said.
UN Chief Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for an
immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of the country to be respected, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. "An
all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs," Dujarric said in a
statement, adding that Guterres spoke with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister
Najib Mikati earlier on Tuesday, telling him the UN was ready to help those in
need. "The Secretary-General will continue his contacts, and his representatives
on the ground will also continue their efforts to de-escalate the situation,"
Dujarric said. He later told reporters at a briefing that UN peacekeepers in
Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, had seen sporadic incursions by the Israeli military.
"The information they have and they've received ... is that they've seen
sporadic incursions by the IDF," Dujarric said. "They have not witnessed a
full-scale invasion."
UNIFIL: Any crossing into Lebanon constitutes a
violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity and a violation of
Resolution 1701
NNA/October 1, 2024
UNIFIL issued the following statement: “Yesterday, the Israeli army informed
UNIFIL forces of its intention to carry out limited ground incursions into
Lebanon. Despite this dangerous development, peacekeepers remain in their
positions. We are regularly adjusting our posture and activities, and we have
contingency plans ready to be activated if necessary. The safety and security of
peacekeepers is of paramount importance, and we remind all parties of their
obligations to respect this.” The statement added: “Any crossing into Lebanon
constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the integrity of Lebanese
territory, and a violation of Resolution 1701. We urge all parties to refrain
from such escalatory actions that will only lead to more violence and more
bloodshed.” UNIFIL stressed that “the price of continuing with the current
course of action is extremely high.” It stressed “the need to protect civilians,
not target civilian infrastructure, and respect international law.” It strongly
urged “the parties to recommit to Security Council resolutions and Resolution
1701 (2006) as the only viable solution to restore stability to this region.”
Israel announces the assassination of Hezbollah’s financial
official and carries out raids in two areas on the outskirts of the suburb
Beirut/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 1, 2024
The Israeli army announced on Tuesday evening the assassination of Hezbollah’s
financial official, Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, and said that he was responsible for
transferring combat equipment from Iran to the party, after two airstrikes that
targeted the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburb. Israeli airstrikes targeted
the outskirts of the suburb The first was concentrated in the Bir Hassan area
near the Beirut International Airport road, while the other targeted the Janah
area and hit a building near Al-Zahraa University Hospital. The main airport
road and the Assad highway were closed and diverted to the Ouzai side road. The
Israeli army initially announced that it had targeted Beirut with a “precise”
strike, without providing any details. Later, it said in a statement that it had
targeted Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, the commander of Hezbollah’s “Unit 4400,” which
is responsible for transferring weapons from Iran and its agents to the party.
The army spokesman said that Qasir is one of Hezbollah’s most prominent leaders
and was close to the Iranian regime. He said that Qasir “directed hundreds of
operations to transfer strategic weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where he
supervised the development of the party’s precision missile project and the
development of the organization’s firepower capabilities, which were intended to
target the home front and other targets in Israel.” According to the Israeli
army, Qasir served as commander of Unit 4400 for more than 15 years, where “in
recent years he was responsible for Hezbollah’s finances and led economic
initiatives aimed at obtaining funding for the organization’s terrorist
activities, such as economic projects in Lebanon and Syria, and economic
networks and businessmen around the world.” He was also “responsible for
transferring funds from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon worth hundreds of
millions of dollars annually,” according to the Israeli army. Qasir has been on
the US sanctions list since 2018, on charges related to transferring funds from
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hezbollah. The US Treasury stated that
Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, known by his nom de guerre “Hajj Fadi,” is Hezbollah’s
financial officer and responsible for transferring Iranian weapons from Syria to
Lebanon. It said that he “heads Hezbollah’s precision weapons transfer unit and
is known for his closeness to Nasrallah, who has entrusted him with many
sensitive tasks. He also manages illegal activities, such as drug and tobacco
trade and smuggling from Syria to Lebanon, exploiting his influence within the
party.”
Egypt Criticizes Israel’s ‘Serious Escalation’ in
Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
Egypt’s top diplomat on Tuesday deplored Israel’s “serious escalation” in
southern Lebanon, after the Israeli military said it launched a “limited and
focused” ground incursion. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty warned that Israel’s
escalation threatens to inflame the entire region “in a way that will lead to
dire security and humanitarian consequences,” according to a statement from the
Egyptian Foreign Ministry. Abdelaty also said Egypt will reject any attempts to
establish a new status quo that violates Lebanon’s sovereignty.
What Does Iran Have in Store for Hezbollah?
The course of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon will reshape the Iranian-Israeli
conflict. How?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
Israel has left Tehran with few options. Let’s not forget that Israel’s invasion
of Lebanon in 1982 crushed the Palestinian “Fatah” as an armed “struggle”
movement.
In recent months, Israel has effectively destroyed Hamas and removed it from the
conflict. It has also destroyed most of Hezbollah’s capabilities, including its
weaponry and leadership, rendering it ineffective as an armed force that Iran
could use to threaten Israel in the coming years. About two decades of Iranian
military investment in its external armed network have largely collapsed in the
face of the region’s strongest military power. The difference between the 2006
war and the current one is that Israel has meticulously planned to eliminate
Hezbollah’s leadership. While this war is violent and bloody, it is less
destructive than the previous one because most of the military strikes have been
focused on Hezbollah, its leadership, its weapons, and its popular support base.
Hezbollah is Iran’s most valuable military asset abroad, and its decision to
refrain from joining the Gaza war did not shield it from Israeli targeting.
Since October, Israel has been determined to dismantle Hezbollah’s capabilities,
even though the group did not support Hamas by participating in the attacks.
After numerous rounds of strikes, it can be said that most of Hezbollah’s
leaders have been killed without fighting, and most of its weapons have been
destroyed in their storage facilities. This dire situation is reminiscent of the
overwhelming attack during the 1967 war, when Egypt’s air and ground forces were
obliterated before they had a chance to act.
The question is: Has the moment arrived that everyone has anticipated for years,
where Tehran, the decision-maker, will conclude that it is time to abandon its
military assets, specifically Hezbollah?
I firmly believe that Iran has not yet reached a stage where it will give up on
Hezbollah, nor will it abandon the group unless there is a significant change in
Tehran, which seems unlikely under the current leadership.
It is more likely that Tehran understands and blames Hezbollah’s top leadership
for its terrible failure – its security breaches and poor conflict management –
and could consider a significant leadership reshuffle if Iran decides to
rehabilitate the group. Let’s not forget that Hezbollah performs Iranian
missions in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and will likely continue these operations.
Iran is expected to scale back its conflict with Israel, either due to its
repeated setbacks – having lost its military wings in Lebanon and Palestine – or
in line with its new approach of improving relations with the next US president.
Undoubtedly, the Iranian leadership is well aware that the balance of power with
Israel is no longer in its favor. Its third war with Israel has revealed four
key truths: First, Israel is capable of waging a prolonged war, and this one is
nearing its one-year mark. Second, Israeli public opinion has shifted to support
the war, and there is now a national consensus backing it. As a result,
Netanyahu has transformed from a disliked figure to a historic leader in the
eyes of his people. Third, Israel no longer seems overly concerned with its
human losses, as thousands of its citizens have been killed – the highest in its
war history – yet it has opened the Lebanese front after Gaza. Fourth, this war
has confirmed that Israel has become an unparalleled military and intelligence
power, conducting attacks on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and the Houthi-controlled
regions of Yemen.
Israel's F-15I Ra'am 'Thunder' fighter jets used to
target Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon
Talia Lakritz/Business Insider/October 1, 2024.
The Israeli Air Force features advanced fighter jets acquired from the US and
enhanced with military technology manufactured in Israel. In addition to F-35I
Adir stealth fighter jets, Israel also has a fleet of F-15I warplanes, a
modified version of the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle that can fly long distances
while carrying thousands of pounds of weapons.
Here's a look at the cutting-edge military aircraft.
Following the 1991 Gulf War, during which Iraq fired Scud missiles into Israeli
cities, Israel acquired the long-range planes in order to bolster its air
defense system.
The Israeli Air Force considered an array of models before ordering 25 F-15I
planes for $2.4 billion in 1994, The New York Times reported.
The first F-15I planes arrived in Israel in 1998.
F-15I fighter jets arrive in Israel in 1998.
Israel's then-minister of defense, Itzchak Mordechai, formally accepted the
planes in a ceremony at Boeing's plant in St. Louis in November 1997. The first
two F-15I jets then arrived in Israel in January 1998. "From a purely
technological standpoint, the F-15I is a masterpiece. It will provide the
qualitative edge Israel requires to preserve peace," Boeing's then-CEO, Phil
Condit, said in a press release. The Israeli Air Force named its F-15I variant "Ra'am"
meaning "Thunder" in Hebrew. The planes were also customized with decals of the
Star of David, a six-pointed Jewish symbol that appears on the Israeli flag.
Israel added its own computer system, terrain-mapping radar, and display and
sight helmet, or DASH, to the planes. With DASH technology from Israeli
manufacturer Elbit Systems, pilots can aim weapons just by looking at a target.
The F-15I's APG-70 synthetic aperture radar can also operate in any weather
conditions. Each aircraft can carry 18,000 pounds of fuel and weapons, The
National Interest reported. F-15I fighter jets can fly a maximum of 4,450
kilometers, or 2,765 miles, without refueling, according to the Israeli Air
Force.
The planes can also be refueled while airborne, enabling them to fly even longer
distances.
They can reach speeds exceeding Mach 2.5, or around 1,918 miles per hour.
At low altitudes, the F-15I's maximum speed is 1,482 kilometers per hour, or
around 920 miles per hour. In August, the State Department approved the sale of
50 new F-15I planes and upgrade kits for Israel's existing fleet totaling $20
billion. The sale also included tank ammunition, mortars, and military vehicles.
Israel won't actually receive the new F-15Is until 2029, the Associated Press
reported. Israel's counteroffensive airstrikes and military operations in Gaza
following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, have resulted in
widespread Palestinian fatalities, increasing scrutiny of US military aid to
Israel. The Israel Defense Force said it used over 150 fighter jets to target
Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon. On Saturday, Israel launched an airstrike on
Hezbollah's central headquarters in Beirut that killed Hassan Nasrallah, who had
led the Iran-backed militant group since 1992. The Israel Defense Forces also
targeted Hezbollah's military infrastructure across southern Lebanon and
launched a ground offensive. The Israeli Air Force shared photos of F-15I
fighter jets loaded with what appeared to be 2,000-pound BLU-109 bombs known as
"bunker busters" following the airstrikes. Iran responded by launching a missile
attack on Israel on Tuesday. US warships helped intercept the Iranian missiles,
and White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said at a briefing
Tuesday that Iran's attack was "ineffective."
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 02/2024
Netanyahu vows strong retaliation against Iran
following missile attacks on Israel
Jerusalem Post/October 02/2024
Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Iran of severe consequences for its missile
attacks on Israel, emphasizing Israel's determination to retaliate decisively.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Iran would pay for attacking
Israel with close to 200 missiles, as the region moved closer to an all-out war.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it. The regime in Tehran
does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and to exact a price
from our enemies,” Netanyahu told his security cabinet. It met Tuesday in the
shadow of Iran’s second attack against the Jewish state, following the one in
April. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the event marked a
significant escalation in tensions between the two arch-foes and threatened
there would be consequences. All three countries — Israel, the US, and Iran —
ratcheted up the oral threats in the aftermath of the attack. The Islamic
Republic warned it would strike back against any retaliatory action, while
Washington and Jerusalem warned of consequences. Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted a warning message to Israel in Hebrew on his X,
fornerly Twitter, account after the attack, stressing that reprisal attacks
against it would only grow stronger. Each one “will become stronger and more
painful on the worn and rotting body of the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said.
Netanyahu vows to target those who attack Israel
In statements, that he published, he threatened the Iranian leadership by
recalling the Israeli assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen
Fakrzadeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “There are probably those in
Tehran who do not understand” Israel’s military stance, but, he promised, “They
will understand.”“We will keep to the rule we have determined: Whoever attacks
us – we attack them.,” he stated. “This is true wherever we fight the axis of
evil. It is true in Judea and Samaria. It is true in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and
Syria – and it is also true in Iran. We are fighting the axis of evil
everywhere, including in southern Lebanon and Gaza. “We are fighting the axis of
evil everywhere, including our heroic soldiers who are now operating in southern
Lebanon and Gaza,” Netanyahu stated. “Today, more than ever, the forces of light
in the world must unite and work together against the ayatollahs' dark regime,
which is the source of terror and evil in our region. They must stand alongside
Israel. The choice has never been more clear, between tyranny and freedom,” he
said.
IDF: No Israelis wounded from Iranian attack - there will be consequences
Jerusalem Post/October 01/2024
"We do not now see other aerial threats from Iran...So we issued instructions to
[the Israeli populace] leave safety areas."
IDF Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari at 8:30 p.m. following Iran's massive
ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday said, "We do not now see other
aerial threats from Iran...So we issued instructions to [the Israeli populace]
leave safety areas." "During our defense, we shot down not a few [many] of the
threats. There have been some hits in central Israel and in other parts of the
country. We have not heard that there are wounded persons," said Hagari.
Further, he said, "Do not give recordings or information about where there are
hits," as it provides intel to the enemy. "We are ready on defense and on
attack. We have plans. There will be consequences. We will act at the moment
which we decide," he added. Moreover, Hagari said, "We are already in a
multifront war. This was not the first time we were attacked by Iran. This was a
larger attack...There are no wounded...also because of our allies."
‘Iranian missile attack on Israel significant escalation,’ US says
Jerusalem Post/October 01/2024
Israeli and American forces jointly defended the Jewish state against more than
200 launched Iranian missiles in an attack that marked a “significant
escalation’ of regional violence for which there would be consequences, US
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington. “We have
made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this
attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” said Sullivan, who
spoke after the second direct Iranian attack on Israel, one day before the start
of the Jewish New Year. It followed the April attack days before Passover.
Iran warned it would strike Israel again and hit American targets if any
reprisal action was taken against it. Armed Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq
warned that US bases there could be a target. “Should the Zionist regime dare to
respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing
response will ensue,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations wrote on X. A senior
Iranian official told Reuters that the order to launch missiles at Israel was
made by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei remains in
a secure location, the senior official added.
Iranian response
In an unusual move, Khamenei posted a warning message to Israel in Hebrew on his
X account after the attack, stressing that reprisal attacks against it would
only grow stronger. Each one “will become stronger and more painful on the worn
and rotting body of the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said. The United States had
warned Israel of the incoming attack, which Iran said was in retaliation for the
IDF’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah two weeks ago and the
killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran over the summer. Israel is
widely believed to have been responsible for Haniyeh’s killing but has not taken
credit.
The attack followed Israel’s intense bombardment of military targets in Lebanon
belonging to the Iranian proxy group in the last weeks. On Monday night, its
ground troops entered southern Lebanon for the first time since the Second
Lebanon War in 2006 in an attempt to push Hezbollah away from its border area.
The US warned Israel on Tuesday that an attack was imminent. US President Joe
Biden posted on X that he and Vice President Kamala Harris had “convened our
national security team to discuss” the attack and US efforts to defend Israel
and American personnel in the region.
Netanyahu to Iranian People: ‘Israel Stands With You’
FDD/October 01/2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity with the Iranian
people on September 30, noting that the vast majority oppose the Islamic
Republic. He also raised the possibility that a new, democratic government will
soon rule in Tehran. “When Iran is finally free — and that moment will come a
lot sooner than people think — everything will be different,” Netanyahu said in
a three-minute video posted on social media. “Our two ancient peoples, the
Jewish people and the Persian people, will finally be at peace. Our two
countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace.” Netanyahu urged Iranians not to
let “a small group of fanatic theocrats crush your hopes and your dreams.” He
added: “You deserve better. Your children deserve better. The entire world
deserves better. I know you don’t support the rapists and murderers of Hamas and
Hezbollah, but your leaders do. You deserve more. The people of Iran should know
— Israel stands with you. May we together know a future of prosperity and
peace.” Netanyahu’s statement comes amid increased repression in Iran. Over the
past two weeks, Tehran has executed some 20 people, reported the Oslo-based
nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) on September 28. The regime hanged two
prisoners in public, an apparent attempt to further intimidate the Iranian
population. In total, the Islamic Republic has executed approximately 470 people
in 2024 to date, according to IHR. Meanwhile, approximately 1,800 protests
against the regime have occurred in Iran in 2024 to date, including at least 280
in September alone, according to FDD’s Iran protest tracker.
Expert Analysis
“It’s time to say the quiet part out loud. Iranians and Israelis share a common
enemy: the Islamic Republic of Iran. Not only is the clerical regime an
impediment to a brighter future for both peoples, but it also is an aberration
to the otherwise positive shared history of two ancient peoples living in the
Middle East. So long as the Islamic Republic is in power, both peoples will
continue to suffer. It’s high time that sentiment serves as the basis for a
broader policy convergence.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has spoken forthrightly about the future of the
Islamic Republic, rightly voicing hope for a free Iran unburdened by the
clerical dictatorship. Netanyahu recognizes that only regime change can resolve
the Iranian threat in the long term. If only President Biden could exhibit
similar moral clarity.” — Tzvi Kahn, FDD Research Fellow and Senior Editor
US sanctions extremist West Bank settler group for violence against Palestinians
FATIMA HUSSEIN/WASHINGTON (AP)/October 1, 2024
The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Hilltop Youth, a group of extremist
settlers in the Israeli -occupied West Bank who attack Palestinians and their
property. In addition, the State Department placed diplomatic sanctions on two
men—Israeli settler Eitan Yardeni, for his connection to violence targeting West
Bank civilians and Avichai Suissa, the leader of Hashomer Yosh, a sanctioned
group that brings young volunteers to settler farms across the territory,
including small farming outposts that rights groups say are the primary drivers
of settler violence across the territory. The sanctions, which expose people to
asset freezes and travel and visa bans, come as violence against Palestinians in
the West Bank has exploded since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, following
the deadly terrorist attacks of October 7th. Palestinians report verbal and
physical harassment, restriction of movement, and face intimidation by settlers
circling their properties on motorbikes, cars or horses and spying via drones.
The Treasury Department said Hilltop Youth has carried out killings and mass
arson, while rights groups and Palestinians say the group is behind “price tag”
attacks – attacks on Palestinian villages in retaliation for perceived efforts
to hamper settlement construction. The group may prove difficult to effectively
sanction, as it is loosely organized and decentralized. In addition, Israel’s
finance minister has previously vowed to intervene on sanctioned settlers’
behalf. In the past, sanctioned settlers have told the AP that the measures have
had little impact on their finances. Hilltop Youth has already faced sanctions
from the EU and UK. The Biden administration has been criticized for imposing
relatively few sanctions on Israeli extremists. According to the Office of
Foreign Assets Control, 27 extremists and entities have been sanctioned by the
U.S. under President Joe Biden ’s February 2024 Executive Order related to
maintaining West Bank stability. The Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said that the U.S. “will
continue to hold accountable the individuals, groups, and organizations that
facilitate these hateful and destabilizing acts.” State Department spokesman
Matthew Miller said “the actions of these individuals have contributed to
creating an environment where violence and instability thrive. Their actions,
collectively and individually, undermine peace, security, and stability in the
West Bank.”
Gunmen kill at least 6 in Tel Aviv shortly before air raid sirens sound
Steven Scheer/JERUSALEM (Reuters)/October 1, 2024
At least six people were killed and nine wounded on Tuesday when two gunmen got
off a tram in Tel Aviv and opened fire on passers-by, before themselves being
shot dead by security forces and an armed civilian, Israeli police said. Police
labelled the incident a terrorist attack but there was no immediate claim of
responsibility from armed Palestinian factions or other militant groups. Shortly
after the attacks, air raid sirens sounded as Iran launched missiles toward
Israel. Israel has been on high alert for months as the war in Gaza approaches
its first anniversary and the escalating conflict in Lebanon appeared set to
draw in Iran. Footage broadcast by Israeli television channels showed the two
gunmen getting off the train and opening fire on people on the platform. As well
as the six dead, at least nine people were wounded with varying degrees of
injuries, police said. Medics and paramedics provided on-site treatment to a
number of wounded people with varying degrees of injuries, including some who
were unconscious, the MDA ambulance service said. Only minutes after the attack,
warning sirens sent Israelis rushing to air raid shelters as Iran fired a
barrage of missiles to avenge the killing by Israel of some prominent leaders of
its so-called Axis of Resistance alliance. Israel's hardline Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, who has responsibility for significant policy areas concerning
the occupied West Bank, said the attackers came from the West Bank city of
Hebron. In a statement on the social media platform X, he said he would demand
in cabinet that members of the suspects' families be deported to Gaza and their
homes destroyed. The war in Gaza began almost a year ago when Hamas-led gunmen
attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage
according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign has killed more than 41,000
Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, and also laid waste
to the enclave. Israel is also fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon to stop rocket
attacks into Israel's north, in the process killing Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah last week in an airstrike in Beirut.
MKs from coalition, opposition call for strikes on
strategic Iranian assets
Jerusalem Post/October 02/2024
Two Knesset members urged strategic strikes on Iran following its missile
attack, aiming for regime change and strengthened alliances. In conversations
with the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night following the Iranian missile attack,
two Members of Knesset (MKs) from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC)
called on the government to take advantage of the attack in order to conduct
strategic strikes against Iran. Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal, a member of
the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC), said he was surprised
that Iran went through with the attack despite the capabilities that Israel
displayed against Hezbollah in the past two weeks and despite threats of
retaliation from both Israeli and US officials. Tal said that the attack may
have been a result of internal pressure in Iran rather than an attempt to start
a war. The new Iranian government was maneuvering towards a new nuclear deal and
was quick to indicate on Tuesday night that the attack was a contained specific
response. According to Tal, Israel now has to take advantage of the
strategic opportunities to defeat Iran once and for all, with the ultimate goal
being to bring about a regime change. Israel cannot afford to bow to
international pressure to cease hostilities, Tal said. Asked how the Iranian
attack will affect the conflict in Gaza, Tal said that "once you attack the head
[Iran], the rest of the branches fall apart … this is what will happen in
Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Gaza, and many other places."
Focus on strategic goals
Yesh Atid MK Moshe Turpaz, also a member of the FADC, said that Israel made a
mistake when it did not respond forcefully to the first Iranian attack in April,
and its central challenge now was to take advantage of the successful defense
and "full legitimacy" in order to launch a "painful" response against strategic
Iranian assets, possibly including its nuclear facilities. Israel would be wise
to act alongside the US in attack and not just in defense in order to both serve
Iran a "critical blow" and to strengthen the anti-Iranian international
alliance. Turpaz stressed, however, that any actions should be viewed based on
the strategic goal Israel wishes to achieve. In Lebanon, Israel's actions needed
to lead to the return of the northern civilians to their homes; in Gaza, the
actions needed to serve the purpose of returning the hostages in Hamas
captivity; and against Iran, Israel's actions "need to be examined in the broad
middle-eastern context" and need to strengthen Israel's alliances with more
moderate Arab countries. Turpaz added that this was a central theme in a book he
published recently, whose title translates as "An MK on Night Shift." Turpaz
said that the book deals with the back and forth during the first months of the
war between his IDF reserve duty as a division operations officer and his
service as a Member of the Knesset and member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs
and Defense Committee.
Canadian MPs join Australian, New Zealand peers in pushing for Palestine
statehood
Dylan Robertson/The Canadian Press/October 1, 2024
OTTAWA — Canadian members of Parliament are working with their colleagues in
Australia and New Zealand to try and convince their respective governments to
jointly recognize Palestinian statehood. NDP MP Heather McPherson, who is
leading an effort to recruit Canadian MPs, said building on work the three
governments have already done might be the best leverage to advance a two-state
solution. "If that's the way we can get them to move on some of these key issues
that I think are so important, we'll work together on that to put more and more
pressure on those three governments," she said. "It is, from my perspective,
incredible that our policy of a two-state solution remains when we refuse to
recognize the State of Palestine." New Zealand MP Phil Twyford is helping lead
the fledgling effort to have the three countries formally recognize the State of
Palestine, going beyond their current practice of calling for a two-state
solution, which refers to the eventual creation of a Palestinian country that
would live in peace alongside Israel.
"It would send a very important message to the rest of the international
community for our countries to back recognition of Palestine at this time, in a
positive and constructive way," he said. Since December, Ottawa has signed three
lengthy joint statements with Australia and New Zealand that lay out shared
stances on Hamas, Gaza, Israeli hostages and humanitarian aid. The small group
is now recruiting MPs and senators for a virtual conference to determine how
they can work in concert, such as releasing statements or using legislative
tools. The MPs say they'll be joined by a colleague from Ireland, which in May
recognized Palestine at the same time as Norway and Spain. MPs in Ottawa,
Canberra and Wellington say the war in Gaza has been the dominant foreign policy
issue in each country, one that has caused massive protests while galvanizing
younger voters. Australian MP Maria Vamvakinou said the issue is already
prominent in her country's looming election. She said both Canada and Australia
have diaspora communities who want their elected officials to advocate harder
for an end to the war.
"We have very close relationships, very close bilaterals, and we have very
similar sort of community experiences, also," she said. "Given the work that our
like-minded countries are doing in relation to this issue, it makes sense that
there's a parliamentarian-to-parliamentarian network as well." Both MPs leading
the initiative Down Under are part of their countries' Labour parties, which are
members of a global coalition of like-minded parties called the Progressive
Alliance. Canada's NDP is part of that alliance. They all hope to include MPs
from other parties in each country. The three MPs say the idea is to limit the
blowback such a move might prompt. Already, Israel has threatened to block
European diplomats' access to their missions in the West Bank or East Jerusalem
at checkpoints if their government recognizes a Palestinian state.
Twyford described the three countries as being solidly in the Western camp of
alliances which have supported Israel for decades, but also have a streak of
independent thinking and advocacy for human rights. He argued there are only
"shades of difference" in how they feel about the Middle East. "Recognition of
Palestine is a critically important step right now to convey to the
international community that there must be a negotiated political settlement and
Palestinians must be at the table," Twyford said.
In May, New Zealand's foreign minister said recognizing Palestine is "a question
of when, not if," and that the timeline hinges on having a clear sense of who
represents Palestinians.
That leadership is split, with the Palestinian Authority administering the West
Bank but losing control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in 2007. It has been nearly
two decades since the Palestinian Authority under the Fatah party has held
presidential and legislative elections.
Twyford noted that countries like the U.S. recognized Israel and Kosovo before
they were fully functioning states. "The call for recognition is not to
recognize a particular political party," he said. "It's to recognize Palestine
as an entity."Australia's foreign minister called last week for "a clear
timeline for the international declaration of Palestinian statehood," while
arguing that unilateral declaration is not effective. Last week, Canada's
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Ottawa is still sorting out what it
needs to see happen. "We are working with our like-minded countries to make sure
that we identify what are the conditions for (the) right time," she said.
MPs on the House foreign affairs committee have voted to launch a study on how
Canada could best recognize Palestine, with the Liberals and NDP passing a
motion that the Conservatives opposed. The committee hadn't posted the minutes
of its recent closed-door meetings as of Monday afternoon, but some MPs have
spoken with media. The Tories have argued that statehood recognition would put
Canada offside with its G7 peers. McPherson said she hopes the debate doesn't
distract from other NDP demands, such as a call for more arms restrictions and
sanctions on far-right Israeli officials. "It's important, but it cannot be the
only thing that the government moves on," she said. "It is not an opportunity to
check a box and walk away." The United Nations' human-rights body said in June
that 146 of the assembly's 193 members had recognized the State of Palestine,
including most of Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Yet the
Israeli government has pushed back forcefully. This past July, Israel’s
parliament overwhelmingly rejected the idea of a two-state solution in a 68-9
vote. "Any move to upgrade the status of the Palestinians — whether in the
United Nations or bilaterally — rewards and incentivizes terrorism, particularly
for Hamas, who would find such actions as validation of its genocidal attacks on
Israel," reads a statement from Israel's embassy in Ottawa. "Such decisions
severely undermine the prospects of resolving the conflict, which can only be
achieved through direct negotiations."
The Palestinian ambassador to Canada, Mona Abuamara, said the MPs are motivated
in part by the U.S. election in early November and the prospect of a Donald
Trump presidency.
"I don't think that any country will be willing at that point to fight him on
this," Abuamara said in an August interview, adding that her delegation will not
interfere in a domestic Canadian debate. She noted that Trump in August mulled
if there is "any way of getting more" territory for Israel. "We're hoping that
the free world and its liberal democracies would act sooner than later to
prevent anything further to transpire," Abuamara said. Canada's former
ambassador to Israel, Jon Allen, told the Red Passport podcast that he heard
Ottawa had pushed its peers to endorse a May vote at the UN General Assembly
aimed at full recognition of Palestine. "My understanding is we were trying to
convince the Australians and the New Zealanders to move and they didn't, then we
didn't," he said in the episode published on Aug. 2.
Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in
seized mining areas, UN says
Mark Banchereau/DAKAR, Senegal (AP)October 01/2024
An armed rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in revenue
through its control of a mining area in the east of the country, the U.N.
Security Council heard. In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to
Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of
a key mineral used in the production of smartphones and computers. Over 15% of
the world's supply of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from
Rubaya, Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, told the Security
Council. “Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from
this criminal trade, peace will remain elusive and civilians will continue to
suffer,” Keita said. Tantalum is among the minerals that was identified earlier
this year in a letter from Congo’s government questioning Apple about the tech
company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its supply chain. The
decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises, with more than 120 armed groups fighting for power, land
and valuable mineral resources while others try to defend their communities.
Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings, rapes and other human
rights violations. The violence has displaced some 6 million people in the
country's east. M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly
made up of ethnic Tutsis that broke away from the Congolese army just over a
decade ago. They staged a large offensive in 2012 and took over the provincial
capital of Goma near the border with Rwanda, the same city they are threatening
again. Congo alleges that Rwanda has been involved in war crimes in the east and
U.S. and U.N. experts accuse it of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies
the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in
eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese
forces near the border. In July, U.N. experts estimated that between 3,000 and
4,000 Rwandan government forces are deployed in eastern Congo alongside M23,
which has been making major advances.
Last week, a regional court in East Africa opened proceedings in a case filed by
Congo against Rwanda, accusing it of violating Congo’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity by sending troops to help rebels in the country’s east.
Official: US Forces Accounted for after Reported Rocket
Attack in Baghdad
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
Multiple Katyusha rockets were fired near Baghdad International Airport, two
Iraqi military officials told Reuters early on Tuesday, but a US official
disputed reports that US military forces were targeted in the incident. "All
military personnel are accounted for and military forces were not targeted as
had been reported," the US defense official told Reuters, speaking on condition
of anonymity. The incident was a reminder of the soaring tensions in the Middle
East, as speculation swirled about whether Iran and Iran-backed groups would
make good on threats to retaliate after a series of Israeli major blows against
Lebanon's Hezbollah. Two Iraqi security sources said an initial investigation
showed three rockets were fired, including one that landed near buildings used
by Iraqi counter-terrorism forces, causing damages and fire to some vehicles but
no casualties. The sources had previously said at least two Katyusha rockets
were also fired at a military base hosting US forces and that air defenses
intercepted the rockets. But the US official said Washington was aware of
reports of an attack instead on the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Complex, which is
a Department of State facility.
"For details about the incident we refer you to the State Department," the
official said. A US Department of State is assessing the damage caused by the
attack, according to a spokesperson, who said there were no casualties.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on October 02/2024
Israel Acts Alone...A string of startling victories has
opened new pathways to freedom in the Middle East
BERNARD-HENRI LÉVY/The Tablet/OCTOBER 01, 2024
We know Lenin’s quote, apocryphal but so true: “There are decades where nothing
happens and there are weeks where decades happen.”
Well this is exactly what has happened, and is still happening, in the Middle
East and beyond, with the booby-trapped pagers of Sept. 17, the defeat, in
Lebanon, on Sept. 29, of Hezbollah and one day later, with the advancement of
Israeli ground troops into southern Lebanon.
A terrorist army, more powerful than al-Qaida and ISIS combined, is permanently
diminished and, for now, decapitated.
The Iranian regime, for which Hezbollah was the avant-garde, the jewel in the
crown, or to continue the Bolshevik metaphor, its most precious capital, is
weakened by a defeat that comes on the heels of the bombing of its embassy
complex in Syria, the execution of Ismael Haniyeh, head of Hamas, in the heart
of Tehran, and the failure of its general offensive, April 17, against Israel.
And it seems that, for the first time in nearly a half-century, the regime is
finally on the defensive, fragile and flailing …The ports of Hodeidah and Ras
Issa, in western Yemen, have been targeted by a squadron of fighter jets after
the Houthis, another of the ayatollah’s puppets, made the mistake of hitting
Ben-Gurion airport where the prime minister had just landed …
Lebanon decolonizing …
Yes, Lebanon, this glorious country of Adonis and Gibran, which amazed Nerval,
Lamartine, and Chateaubriand and was, for a long time, an example of
cosmopolitanism and tolerance, then became nothing more than a colony of Iran, a
pawn in its imperial strategy and, because of that, a failed state—now the vise
is loosening and the Lebanese people, if they wish, can take their own destiny
back in hand …
Israel breathes …
Iranian women smile …
What’s left of democrats in Syria remember that Hezbollah was on the front lines
of the massacre, by Bashar Assad, of hundreds of thousands of their own, and in
Idlib there are great outpourings of joy …The families of the 58 French
paratroopers and the 241 American Marines killed in the dual suicide
truck-bombing attacks of 1983, the survivors of the attacks in 1986, in Paris,
against the Tati department store, the Renault pub, the police precinct, the RER
regional train, the TGV high-speed Paris-Lyon train, and so on, estimate, as
does President Biden, that justice is done …
In short, the free world, the real one, the one that stretches from New York,
Paris, and Rome to the crowds that, from Tehran to Ankara and from Moscow to
Beijing and Kabul, do not resign themselves to living under imbecilic and bloody
dictatorships, can breathe a little easier and see the signs of possible change.
Of course, nothing is yet decided.
Hezbollah still has tens of thousands of missiles pointed at Israel.
And history having, as Marx said, to remain in the same metaphorical register,
more imagination than man, the “five kings” that are Iran, Russia, the Islamist
International, Turkey, and China are not without recourse, far from it.
But the Israelis have delivered a lesson in determination and courage.
They did the opposite to what the European and American Munich Agreement
cheerleaders were repeating like broken records: “De-escalate! De-escalate!”
After all, according to the theories of just war, and after that, according to
Clausewitz, there are situations in the world where, alas, escalation is
necessary and the only option.
And the Israelis reminded the world that there are moments in history, when your
(Israel’s) survival is at stake, when entire peoples (Lebanon, Syria, Yemen,
Iraqi and Syrian Kurds) are taken hostage and threatened, when the strategy of
compromise is taken by the enemy (formerly Nazi Germany, today the Islamic
Republic of Iran) as an invitation to hit even harder—moments, then, where one
of those strong acts that the cowards call “escalation” can turn the tide,
redraw the power map, and save lives.
The IDF acts alone because that is, today, its situation.
But it acts—contrary to what armchair strategists castigating an “Israel now out
of control” repeat everywhere—with measure and without hubris.
It breaks the operational capabilities of a state within a state that terrorized
the world. And it does this, as always, while trying to do everything it could
to spare innocent civilians.
And, as we all now know since the fall of the great empires and, more recently,
of the USSR, dictators fear, not just failure, but the external humiliation that
leaves them naked before their internal opposition—such that Israel may well be
in the process of fulfilling in Iran itself the great dream of Western
republics, moderate Arab countries, and, again, heroines of democracy who have
courageously paraded for two years now in Tehran to the shouts of “Woman, Life,
Freedom.” For these reasons, Israel’s allies must urgently regroup to support
it, not just in defense, but for victory.
**Translated from the French by Matthew Fishbane.
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a philosopher, activist, filmmaker, and author of more
than 45 books including The Genius of Judaism, American Vertigo, Barbarism with
a Human Face, Who Killed Daniel Pearl?, and The Empire and the Five Kings. His
newest book, Israel Alone, was released on Sept. 10, 2024.
Defeating Hezbollah Will Strengthen the West
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/October 1, 2024
An Israeli victory against Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon is
vital to guaranteeing the security of the entire Western alliance. It will send
a clear signal to Iran -- Hezbollah's paymasters -- that the ayatollahs'
unremitting campaign against the West and its allies is ultimately doomed to
failure.
[A]n estimated 90,000 Israelis being forced to flee their homes, leaving large
swathes of northern Israel deserted. Hezbollah has said that those Israelis will
not be able to return to their homes, raising concerns that Hezbollah, which had
been planning to invade northern Israel, might also be planning to occupy it.
[United Nations Secretary-General António] Guterres, referring to Israel,
announced that the war "did not happen in a vacuum." Ironically, it is Guterres
himself who is responsible for creating the non-vacuum that ignited the
situation. According to UN Security Resolution 1701, it was the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, under the direction of Guterres, that was
tasked with "maintaining security and stability throughout south Lebanon...." It
didn't.
Since the IDF launched its military campaign against Hezbollah, Israel has faced
the usual barrage of criticism over civilian casualties.
The reality, though, is that the group most responsible for causing casualties
is Hezbollah which, like its Iranian-backed ally Hamas in Gaza, has no qualms
about putting innocent Lebanese civilians in harm's way.
Israel's offensive to destroy Hezbollah, therefore, is very much in the West's
interests in terms of safeguarding its future security, a consideration Western
leaders should take on board when seeking to address the deepening crisis in the
Middle East.
Israel's offensive to destroy Hezbollah is very much in the West's interests in
terms of safeguarding its future security, a consideration Western leaders
should take on board when seeking to address the deepening crisis in the Middle
East. Pictured: An apartment used by Hezbollah terrorists after it was hit by a
pinpoint Israeli airstrike, on September 30, 2024 in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by
Carl Court/Getty Images)
The Israeli military campaign against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists is not
just an exercise in safeguarding Israel from suffering further bombardment from
tens of thousands of missiles and attack drones.
An Israeli victory against Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon is
vital to guaranteeing the security of the entire Western alliance. It will send
a clear signal to Iran -- Hezbollah's paymasters -- that the ayatollahs'
unremitting campaign against the West and its allies is ultimately doomed to
failure.
It is certainly a consideration world leaders must take on board as they attempt
to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, one that would
undoubtedly be to the Iranian-backed terror group's advantage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after taking 11 months of continuous
rocket fire and fruitless negotiations, rejected the ceasefire idea, presumably
out of concern that it would only provide Hamas and Hezbollah with a chance to
rearm to attack again, as they have openly vowed to do. After the inconclusive
war Israel fought against Hezbollah in 2006, the scale of the latest Israeli
assault against Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon shows that, this
time, the Israelis have no intention of ending their military campaign until
Hezbollah is no longer in a position to maintain its relentless assault against
northern Israel.
Hezbollah launched its drone and missile attacks against Israel -- using many
munitions supplied by Iran -- indiscriminately attacking Israeli civilian
targets, primarily in Israel's north -- just one day after the devastating
October 7, 2023 attacks.
This uncalled for assault has resulted in an estimated 90,000 Israelis being
forced to flee their homes, leaving large swathes of northern Israel deserted.
Hezbollah has said that those Israelis will not be able to return to their
homes, raising concerns that Hezbollah, which had been planning to invade
northern Israel, might also be planning to occupy it.
Last week, one of Israel's most obdurate critics, UN Secretary-General António
Guterres, tried to blame the victim, Israel, a country that was attacked without
provocation, for the current conflict. Guterres, referring to Israel, announced
that the war "did not happen in a vacuum." Ironically, it is Guterres himself
who is responsible for creating the non-vacuum that ignited the situation.
According to UN Security Resolution 1701, it was the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, under the direction of Guterres, that was tasked with
"maintaining security and stability throughout south Lebanon...." It didn't.
According to the Center for Strategic International Studies:
"Hezbollah has also repeatedly violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by
deploying forces and firing anti-tank guided missiles and other stand-off
weapons against Israel from the zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River
[roughly 18 miles from the border with Israel]."
Hezbollah, which is a key member of Iran's so-called "axis of resistance" along
with other terrorist groups such as Hamas, claims it has launched its attacks
against Israel in solidarity with its terrorist ally Hamas, and that the
bombardment will continue until a ceasefire has been agreed in Gaza.
Now, after nearly a year of relentless bombardment by Hezbollah, Israel has
launched "Operation Northern Arrows", with the result that the Israel Defence
Forces have undertaken their most comprehensive counteroffensive against
Hezbollah since the 2006 conflict.
In the past week, the IDF has launched hundreds of air attacks against
Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure, targeting missile launch sites, ammunition
stores and key figures in the terrorist organisation's leadership, with several
key commanders being killed in Israeli air strikes.
Among those killed was 61-year-old Ibrahim Akil, one of Hezbollah's top military
officers, in charge of its elite forces, who had been on Washington's wanted
list for years.
The targeting of Akil is a good example of how Israel's military assault against
Hezbollah is in the West's interests, as it is succeeding in targeting
terrorists who have a history of carrying out attacks not just against Israel,
but against Western targets as well.
Described by the State Department as a "key leader" in Hezbollah, Akil was part
of the group that carried out the 1983 bombings of the US Embassy and US Marines
barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. service members, 17 other Americans,
and 46 non-Americans.
The embassy bombing took place while the CIA was conducting a regional meeting
of its Middle East intelligence chiefs, many of whom were killed in the attack.
Akil was also accused of orchestrating the Western hostage crisis in Beirut in
the 1980s, when scores of American, British and French hostages were taken
hostage.
Akil has been designated a terrorist by the US Treasury Department since 2015,
soon followed by another designation by the State Department as a "global
terrorist." In 2023, the State Department also announced a reward of up to $7
million for information leading to his "identification, location, arrest, and/or
conviction."
Akil's death, therefore, illustrates the importance of Israel's military
offensive against Hezbollah for the West, which is just as much a target from
terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, and its backer Iran, as Israel.
Just like Akil, Hezbollah and its allies -- such as Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah, as
much an enemy of the West as it is of Israel -- are willing to carry out
terrorist attacks against America's military forces in the Middle East, whether
they are sending suicide truck bombs to destroy the US Embassy and Marines
barracks in Beirut in 1983, or more recently launching missile and drone attacks
against US bases in Iraq and the Gulf.
It is hoped that Western leaders, who have been meeting in New York for the
annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly, took this key point on
board as they weighed their options for ending the violence between Israel and
Hezbollah.
Since the IDF launched its military campaign against Hezbollah, Israel has faced
the usual barrage of criticism over civilian casualties.
The reality, though, is that the group most responsible for causing casualties
is Hezbollah which, like its Iranian-backed ally Hamas in Gaza, has no qualms
about putting innocent Lebanese civilians in harm's way.
Hezbollah regularly situates its key terror bases in civilian areas of Lebanon,
such as Beirut's southern suburbs, as was revealed following the mass explosions
affecting pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah terrorists, which exposed
that they were operating in civilian centres throughout Lebanon.
That the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured by a pager
explosion points to just how deeply embedded senior Iranian officials are within
Hezbollah's command structure.
Israel's offensive to destroy Hezbollah, therefore, is very much in the West's
interests in terms of safeguarding its future security, a consideration Western
leaders should take on board when seeking to address the deepening crisis in the
Middle East.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Latest ‘September Turning Point’ of Arab History
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
September is rich with historical and political developments in our region. Over
the past few decades, several major "turning points" have unfolded during this
month, leaving major repercussions on Arab politics and the role of Arabs both
as people and leaders.
On September 28, 1970, President Gamal Abdel Nasser died during the war between
Jordan and Palestinian guerrilla organizations that became known as "Black
September." Nasser's death and the Palestinian freedom fighter movements losing
what had been their primary base since their inception in the late 1960s, was
the greatest shock to traditional Arab nationalist thought of its kind. At the
time, many assumptions and convictions that had withstood (albeit tenuously) the
defeat of June 1967 collapsed.
A wounded "Nasserism" sought to survive through the "War of Attrition"
(1967-1970). However, this effort collapsed with Nasser's death and was
ultimately brought to an end by the "coup" of his successor and former
comrade-in-arms, Anwar Sadat.
Indeed, after Sadat struck those he called the "centers of power" through the
"Corrective Revolution" in May 1971. Everything that Nasserism represented - as
an idea, practice, and web of alliances - was thereby eradicated. Sadat led a
socialist "Arabist Egypt" away from the Soviet Eastern bloc towards an alliance
with the West, breaking with what had been an Arab consensus and betting on a
unilateral peace agreement with Israel.
The second "September turning point" came on September 11, 2001, when Al-Qaeda
operatives launched unprecedented attacks with civilian passenger planes in New
York, Washington, and rural Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people.
Al-Qaeda was indeed one manifestation of militant Islamism. It developed as an
alternative to a series of governance experiments in the Arab and Islamic worlds
that followed the independence era (the second half of the 1940s).
In the Arab world, a group of Arab states gained independence. Some upheld the
banner of Arabism, others waged struggles in the name of their Islamic identity,
and some bet on an enlightened modern bourgeoisie that did not see enmity with
the West was inevitable within the context of a global Cold War that began the
end of World War II and ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
In the Islamic world, the loyalties of the most prominent newly independent
states. There was the "non-alignment" of Ahmed Sukarno in Indonesia and the
"Islamic" passions of Pakistan, which was eager to live by "Islam" and built its
distinctive identity in opposition to the secularism of India... and then as
part of the Western alliances that emerged to contain the Soviets during the
1950s. Indeed, Pakistan was a member of two such alliances: the Baghdad Pact
(later CENTO) and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
The setback of the Arab alternative following 1967 was followed by the decline
of the leftist-revolutionary alternative after the events in Jordan (1970),
Egypt's alignment with the West (early 1970s), and then the armed Palestinian
withdrawal from Lebanon in 1982 following the Israeli invasion. All of these
developments revived a third alternative- the "Islamic alternative," especially
after the success of the Khomeini revolution in Iran in 1979.
This "Islamic alternative" imposed itself on several Arab arenas. American
support for the Afghan Mujahideen and their allies - including some Arabs - in a
war aimed at trapping the Soviets in the Afghan swamp, brought armed struggle
back to prominence. However, as we recall, Washington turned its back on this
"alternative" (its Sunni manifestation at least) as soon as the communist enemy
fell in Moscow.
This "betrayal," as the armed forces of "Sunni" political Islam saw it, drove
Al-Qaeda to target the United States on September 11, 2001. The US response
began in Afghanistan, where it targeted the Taliban (the successor of the
Mujahideen), and it then attacked "Sunni" Iraq under the pretext of eliminating
its "nuclear" military capabilities - which did not exist - that could threaten
Israel!
In 2003, Iraq was attacked and occupied, and Saddam Hussein's regime was
overthrown. As a result, Iraq, the "eastern gate of the Arabs," became easy prey
for the Iranian mullahs, whom Washington had long "ignored," deciding not to
target them despite their political rhetoric and geopolitical expansion and
their actual development of a nuclear program.
September 27, 2024, was a turning point for dealing with "political Shiism,"
which emerged as a result of American "silence." It seems that allowing Israel
to eliminate the leadership of Hezbollah, which is the spearhead of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has had extreme consequences, and more will
follow.
Hezbollah, which has helped the Iranian regime build its influence in the Arab
world - from the Gulf to Syria, and from Palestine to Yemen - on numerous
occasions, was not just an organization allied with or subordinate to Tehran...
it was organically linked to it.
It was an integral pillar of the Tehran regime’s security architecture.
Many questions arose after Iran’s leadership betrayed Hamas, standing idly by
despite Israel's assassination of its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in the heart of
Tehran.
Some responded to these many questions by reminding those who had posed them
that Hamas, is, after all, a Sunni organization; Iran had supported it purely to
maintain its pretense of championing the cause and create the impression that
they are doing more than the Arabs and Muslims.
However, its alliance with Hezbollah is entirely different. Not only is it a
Shiite movement, with members and leaders from families claiming to be
descendants of the prophet (Ahl al-Bayt), but it also materially and
operationally constitutes the Lebanese branch of the IRGC.
Accordingly, what happened on the evening of September 27, 2024, the third
"September turning point," will create an entirely new "situation" in Lebanon
and the region. It may, in the coming weeks or months, decide the issue of a
"settlement" on Iran’s role in the Arab region.
No… Iran Did Not Give Hassan Nasrallah Up
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
The claim that Iran has sold out Hezbollah stems purely from political spite and
the grudges it provokes. Strategic and geopolitical calculations shape Iran’s
relationship with the most prominent formation that grew out of Khomeini's
revolutionary ideology, Hezbollah, and its leaders. Regardless of the current
moment’s significance, this relationship is not defined by isolated individual
actions. Hezbollah is not just a militia sponsored by Iran, nor is its
assassinated leader, Hassan Nasrallah, merely an ally. Hezbollah is an extension
of Tehran's regional influence; it is integral to Iran’s strategic deterrence
against Israel, and it mobilizes and fosters the Shiite-Arab axis on Iran’s
behalf. Given its position in Iran’s strategy, Hezbollah cannot be bought and
sold.
The fact is that the assassination of Nasrallah, the near-total dismantling of
the party's military infrastructure, and the systematic assassination of its
reservoir of talented cadres and leaders, represent a total defeat for Iran. The
collapse of the "Hezbollah regime” following Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination is
a geopolitical earthquake comparable to that which erupted with the collapse of
Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. The latter opened the door to an Iranian
invasion of the Levant, and the former will open the door to its departure.
The attrition of Hezbollah that has left it close to the end- after Hamas had
been crushed and amid increasing pressure on the Houthis and Iraqi militias-
strikes at the heart of Iran's proxy war doctrine. It is no secret that
Hezbollah is the crown jewel of this strategy that Iran has invested in
financially, logistically, and ideologically for many difficult decades,
primarily to ensure that neither Israel nor the United States engage in a direct
conflict with Iran.
Now, Iran's immediate goal is to reorganize and restructure Hezbollah, such that
the organization’s continuity is ensured, through the appointment of a new
Secretary-General and a team who can reassure the “community of resistance” and
begin the arduous journey out of this life and death crisis that Hezbollah has
been confronting over the past 11 months. No one understands better than Iran
that this restructuring, which is fraught with strategic challenges, will (at
least temporarily) diminish Hezbollah's military and political effectiveness,
and will thereby undermine Iran's influence in Lebanon and beyond.
Another, unforeseen, restructuring effort will prove more difficult: addressing
the fierce infighting in Iran itself. Iran sees the assassination of Nasrallah
as a direct challenge to its standing in the region, and its base of support,
both within and outside Iran, has placed immense pressure on the leadership
because of the lofty expectations that Iranian propaganda had fueled. The
Iranian regime’s primary task is to strike a balance in managing its reactions.
Some demand more aggressive direct retaliation to these setbacks, but Tehran
cannot currently afford to react this way. Others argue that not retaliating
would cost Iran its standing and that if it continues to exercise “strategic
patience,” Iran could lose its control over allies and proxies.
Recent events have not only undermined Hezbollah's operational capabilities;
they have also upended regional power dynamics at Iran’s expense and deprived
Iran of its crown jewel in the region. Thus, we can now argue that we might be
seeing a shift in the balance of power in Lebanon, as well as the Arab Levant
more broadly, and that this shift can be exploited to push back against Iran's
influence in Lebanon and Syria. With Hezbollah weakened, other political
factions- Christian and Druze forces, and even some Lebanese Shiite figures and
entities- could start distancing themselves from Iran and begin to seek
political cover under the umbrella of Arab countries, especially the Gulf
states.
Since the challenges to Iran’s influence will not automatically translate into a
formula for stability in Lebanon and the region- indeed, Iran could try to
reassert its control by other means, including support for sectarian militias-
the Arabs have a window of opportunity to play a role vis-a-vis Iran and assure
it that off ramps are available.
It is also an opportune moment to bolster Arab influence in Lebanon, not merely
through humanitarian aid but through political initiatives that take advantage
of the partial but substantial vacuum left by the events unfolding in the
country.
The assassination of Nasrallah and the blows to Hezbollah pose strategic
challenges for Iran, potentially heightening risks of regional instability and
escalation between Iran's network of proxies on the one hand, and Israel on the
other, as well as possibly some Arab states. Nonetheless, this development is a
major opportunity that cannot be missed. Hezbollah’s hegemony over the Lebanese
political system and its role in Iran's regional strategy will be very different
after September 27, 2024.
It seems that the real test will be finding creative ways to take advantage of
Hezbollah losing its dominance without destabilizing Lebanon's fragile political
system or its sectarian balances, nor cornering Iran and compelling it to bring
the system crashing down.
Has the Hour of ‘Abandonment’ Arrived?
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 02/2024
It is not the time to address the earth-shattering attack on the central command
of Hezbollah, the horrific assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the
regional and international repercussions of the attack. The operation crowned an
unprecedented wave of escalation using airstrikes, drones, and cyber attacks
(the "Pager" and "Walkie-Talkie" explosions) that left 4,000 people either dead
or injured, most of them members of the party. Many of its military and field
commanders perished in individual and collective assassinations, including Fuad
Shukr, Ibrahim Aqil, Ibrahim Qobeissi, and other senior leaders of the Radwan
Force.
Iran has failed to protect Hezbollah, its most powerful ally in the region,
despite its many statements. It was negotiating and making concessions to the US
as the party faced the fiercest, most dangerous, and strangest Israeli attack
since its inception in 1983 and the beginning of its asymmetric war, in which
Israel enjoys aerial, technological, and intelligence superiority.
Amid Israel’s escalation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made conciliatory
statements about the United States. Pezeshkian said that Hezbollah cannot
confront Israel alone. He also reiterated his Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s
statement that “Iran seeks peace and does not wish to enter a war with Israel,”
and stressed that his country is ready to resume negotiations regarding its
nuclear program.
Earlier, Pezeshkian had said, "We and the Americans are brothers... and we have
no enmity towards them," elaborating on Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s assertion that
"There is no harm in tactical retreat before the enemy."
According to the US media, "Iran informed Hezbollah that it is not the right
time to engage in a war with Israel.” These are not the only conciliatory
positions and actions by Iran. First, its retaliation to the killing of its top
field commander, Qassem Soleimani, was folkloric. It then digested the
assassinations of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and their guest, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as
the loss of their ally Hamas in Gaza, and finally, everything Hezbollah is
facing today.
These stances, which might be understandable and seen as diplomatic in
peacetime, seem crude in the current context. Iran's arms, primarily Hezbollah,
are engaged in fierce clashes. In reality, the party is not engaged in a war, as
the media is referring to it, as a war usually involves two parties exchanging
blows and the current events in Lebanon have exposed the extreme imbalance of
power between them.
Hezbollah has been on the receiving end of strikes using all kinds of weapons,
while its responses have remained extremely limited, failing to land anything
like equally painful human and material blows, the latest being last Friday's
massacre. The party’s arguments of playing a “supportive” role and of having
created a balance of terror and deterrence since the end of the 2006 war, have
become untenable. Is this solely the result of Israel’s technological and
military superiority, or had assessments of the party's military capabilities
and readiness for conventional war been excessively generous? Is the trigger for
the precision-guided missiles said to be in its possession not in its hands
alone? Questions of whether Iran has abandoned the party have arisen. Has Iran
abandoned Hezbollah?
Iran expressing its desire for peace as its largest arm takes unprecedented hits
has certainly confused some, but politics is dynamic, not static. Its
conciliatory and appeasing position towards the US does not mean it has
abandoned Hezbollah. Its reluctance to respond to all the attacks it has faced
is born of a desire to maintain its long-term project in the region, and
Hezbollah is its crown jewel. The party’s duties go beyond the liberation of
Palestine and include protecting the Iranian regime.
Tehran wants the US to provide cover for the party and prevent Israel from
destroying it militarily and perhaps politically. That is why it reassures the
West that things will not escalate into a full-scale regional war. In this
context, we must consider intra-regime divergences regarding Iran’s relationship
with Washington and their ramifications on the party's performance. Iran and
Israel want to take advantage of the current election season in the US. Israel
wants to break Iran’s resistance proxies in the region by any means necessary,
however brutal they may be, reassured by the knowledge that no American
presidential candidate will stand against it.
Iran wants to make progress in negotiations on its nuclear program. This could
entail preventing the party from using its precision-guided missiles, perhaps
even scaling down its proxies roles and ending its support for Russia in the
Ukraine war.
Iran is not calling on Hezbollah to surrender, but it is urging it to wage a
limited war. It does not want to risk a war that it does not have the capacity
to wage and seeks to retain the capabilities of the party so they can be used
when it needs them, especially since this war has become limited in scope.
Whether Iran, as a state, has abandoned Hezbollah or not, the question is
whether the Iranian revolution will abandon it. The outcome remains that Iran
has not treated Hezbollah as a partner, but rather as a tool. The tragedy is
that the party has reached this conclusion very late. The “earthquake” on Friday
expands the dangerous void that has been creeping over Lebanon since 2005.