Full-blown war between Israel and Lebanon doesn’t have to happen
Yossi Beilin, a former Israeli cabinet minister who took part in negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords, says there is no need for Israel and Hezbollah to head into a full-blown war.
“I think that there is a gap between Hezbollah’s interests and the civilian interests of Lebanon,” he told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv. “And if we can work in order to put an end to this exchange of fire … I think that this is what both sides need more than anything else, to ever gain a war between us and them.”
Beilin added that he believes that Israel is willing to discuss the border issue with Lebanon to address differences between the two states.
“So if there is a solution for the border, there is no need for a war,” he said. “Who can tell me why should we fight Lebanon of all places? Why should they fight us of all places?”
Well maybe because you're still occupying part of Lebanon, Shebaa farms. But mainly because you're committing genocide in Gaza.
‘All signs are for’ regional escalation as Lebanon-Israel fighting flares
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Lorenzo Kamel, a professor at the University of Turin, said the latest increase in cross-border attacks raises the likelihood of regional escalation.
“Obviously, all the signs are for an escalation,” he said.
He added that this has been heightened by Israel’s use of white phosphorous in southern Lebanon, which Human Rights Watch has warned violates international law and can cause disproportionate civilian suffering. “We know that Israel is using white phosphorus. This is putting civilians at risk,” Kamel said.
“And of course, we know that white phosphorus is there to make a place unlivable. And we know that in the long term, the use of white phosphorus causes a lot of malformations and so on. So all these elements are there to remind us that an escalation is getting closer,” he said.
‘The fire in the north does not stop’: Israeli Army Radio
The group reports that more than 60 projectiles fired from Lebanon have been detected in Israel today, as the increase in attacks by Lebanon’s Hezbollah continues to intensify.
Yesterday, Hezbollah unleashed 150 rockets in a single barrage, the largest since it began trading fire with the Israeli army on October 8, one day after Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Hezbollah rockets fall on Israel’s Shtula
The Israeli town on the Lebanese border has come under attack as projectiles were launched from Lebanese territory.
Video posted on X by Israeli broadcaster Kan shows a fire that broke out as a result of a rocket impact:
3 غارات إسرائيليّة على بلدة عيترون ومحيط بلدة راميا، وغارة على بلدة عيتا الشعب.#جنوب_لبنان #لبنان #إسرائيل #ليبانوس pic.twitter.com/uQqIneZFg5
— Lebanos (@lebanosnews) June 14, 2024
UN urges restraint amid rising Israel, Lebanon tensions
The UN has called for calm in response to Israeli soldiers allegedly attempting to start fires in southern Lebanon by launching fireballs with catapults.
“We are encouraging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any action or statement,” deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news conference. Moreover, Haq told reporters that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continues to carry out its duties in the field and is working to reduce tensions.
He warned that “the danger of a wider conflagration is very real.”
