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‘Hezbollah’s infrastructure secure, Beirut always weakest point’
Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, has told Al Jazeera that Israel “does not have the capability to defeat Hezbollah militarily”. Here’s more of what he said:
- Hezbollah has many thousands of kilometres of tunnels across the country. Their infrastructure is secure, their military is prepared.
- Beirut has always been Hezbollah’s weakest point, because that’s where all the Western embassies, NGOs are, that’s where people who are affiliated with Western intelligence agencies are.
- “I think the Israeli regime is really destroying the collective West.”
- This is not just about Israel. The West is bringing itself down. Electronic goods from Western companies are all suspect now.
A closer look at type of weaponry believed to have been used in Beirut attack
Israel media says about 85 so-called “bunker-buster” bombs were used. Also known as “ground penetration munition”, these missiles burrow deep into the ground before they detonate.
They have the power to destroy underground facilities and reinforced concrete buildings. The bombs each weigh between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds. They can penetrate 30 metres of earth or six metres of concrete and also create shockwaves that can collapse other structures.
The Geneva Convention outlaws the use of these bombs in densely populated areas due to the risk of mass and indiscriminate casualties.
Assassinations will continue as long as Israel has ‘free hand’
Akiva Eldar, political analyst at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, has told Al Jazeera that “as long as [Israeli PM] Netanyahu and his government think that they have a free hand and full legitimacy – consensus in the Israeli public opinion – they will keep doing this [assassinations]”.
“Israel has a bank of targets. This bank is not empty yet. And they want to use this momentum. It is Saturday, the international community is asleep, the Americans have a president who is counting the days to the end of his tenure. He is a laying duck,” he said.
“Netanyahu is kind of a leader, like [former Israeli PM in the ’80s and ’90s] Shimon Peres used to say, that once he has a hammer – and Israel has a big hammer – he believes that every problem is a nail. He will keep hitting these nails, and there are several nails,” Eldar said.
“The question is why not, if the price internationally, in foreign currency, is so low.”
Killing of Nasrallah marks big change for Hezbollah
I don’t think many people foresaw this coming so soon. Nasrallah had an aura and an influence – if he called people to go to the streets, they went to the streets.
This is all going to be different from now on.
A new leadership will rise but the new set of commanders might not be announced. This will make it harder for the party itself but also for Israel in terms of understanding who is in control.
Boys scouts carry a picture of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a funeral of Hezbollah member Ali Mohamed Chalbi
