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SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Iran calls out world for silence on Israeli assaults

A spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry has said on X that Israel and Zionism are a threat to the entire world, and has taken aim at what he called the “inaction” of “governments and international assemblies, especially the UN Security Council, regarding the horrific and unprecedented crimes of the Zionist regime in Palestine and Lebanon”.

He also slammed the US for its “full military, political and economic support” to Israel’s “criminal regime”.

The US continues to provide billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, even as it urges it publicly to cease its war on Gaza and its strikes on Lebanon.

“The smoke of the world’s inaction towards the crimes of the terrible and rebellious Israeli regime will be seen by the whole world in the near future”, the spokesperson’s statement concludes.

Israeli army claims killing of Hezbollah’s leader

The Israeli army says it eliminated the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

Yesterday, the army killed the leader of the “terrorist organisation” – these are Israeli words – and one of its founders. The army also killed Ali Karaki, the commander of the southern front of the organisation, and a number of other Hezbollah leaders.

[Israel’s statement] goes on to say air force planes with precise intelligence guidance from the security establishment raided what they said at the time were Hezbollah’s central headquarters, located underground, of course, in that densely populated area of Dahiyeh when those strikes hit – 10 or 12 in quick succession.

When we watched that unfold, there was no doubt that the target was a major one. Soon after, we had leaks stating that Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, in charge of the group for 32 years, had been there at the time.


Iranians stage protests against Israel in Tehran

Iranians have taken to the streets of the capital Tehran to denounce the attacks carried out by Israel in Lebanon this past week and the ongoing war in Gaza. Demonstrators assembled in Palestine Square waved flags and held up posters of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian leaders.

“The message is clear, revenge and revenge… the patience of people is coming to an end and we want nothing but revenge,” protester Mohammad Mousavi told Al Jazeera. “There must be an answer, and it must be very soon because I don’t think people can wait any longer.”

Mousavi said the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, if confirmed, would “bring Israel’s end closer” by increasing rage towards the country.

 
Iran’s Khamenei condemns ‘short-sighted’ Israeli policy

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in a statement “the massacre of defenceless people in Lebanon once again revealed the savage nature” of Israel and proved “the short-sightedness” of its leaders.

He said in a statement that the Israeli government did not learn from its actions in Gaza that “the collective killing of women, children, and civilians cannot weaken or overthrow the strong foundation of the resistance organisation”.

He called on Muslims “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the … wicked regime [of Israel]”.

Khamenei also said that “the fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront”.

Supreme leader’s message ‘clear sign of solidarity’ with Hezbollah, Palestinians

Tohid Asadi, a Tehran-based journalist, says Khamenei’s message was a “clear” sign of solidarity with Hezbollah and Iran’s longstanding foreign policy principle in favour of the Palestinian cause.

“In a previous message, he also put emphasis on his belief of the structural strengths of Hezbollah and he is now calling for more consensus among Muslim countries in order to provide the Israelis with a crushing response,” Asadi told Al Jazeera.

“No plan of action here in this message – that is something that nobody is expecting – him to spill the beans – about the forthcoming plan of action,” Asadi said, noting that confirmation of the killing of Nasrallah would be “a very tragic event” for both Hezbollah and Iran.

“So we have to wait for the next hours and days to see what takes place on the ground,” he added.



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SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Hassan Nasrallah, a larger-than-life figure

Hassan Nasrallah is a larger-than-life figure when it comes to the politics in the Middle East. He is the figurehead, Iran’s linchpin, if you will. He really created Hezbollah into the organised fighting, disciplined force that it is today.

He came to power, to the helm of the group, 32 years ago when the former secretary-general was assassinated by Israel. I think that is an interesting point, also to show you that these groups don’t just disappear with the assassination of senior figureheads.

He hasn’t appeared in public for years due to security concerns. In Lebanon, everyone stops to listen to him, whether they like him or not.

And over the years, Hezbollah has in Lebanon lost [some of] its support from the people, especially when they started fighting in Syria. Many Lebanese thought, “This is no longer our fight. You are representing Iran, you are not representing us”.

There was also a lot of anger among parts of the Lebanese society when Hezbollah entered in support of the Palestinians of Gaza on October 8. Many Lebanese I’ve been speaking to will tell you, ‘This is not our fight’, as much as they support the Palestinian cause, because Lebanon has its own problems.

Certainly we cannot underestimate the turning point in the Middle East, in the geopolitical situation, when it comes to this [claimed] assassination by Israel. It is a massive blow.


Worry among Hezbollah members over fate of group leader

This is a man who has a lot of support, especially among his Shia constituency in Lebanon. They see him as a father figure, a religious leader and as a man who has improved their standing in Lebanon.

At the same time, Hezbollah is a non-state actor that is better armed than the Lebanese state and this has earned it enemies in the country. The last speech Nasrallah gave was prerecorded and he knew he was being hunted down.

If the news of his death is true, this will be a political earthquake in Lebanon.


‘Not justifiable attacking densely populated areas – but world does nothing’

Commenting on the Israeli claims of killing Nasrallah, military and security analyst Elijah Magnier has told Al Jazeera that the focus should be “on the several buildings that all disappeared under the ground, with all their inhabitants,” as a result of the Israeli air attack on Friday.

“It’s absolutely considered a war crime and a crime against humanity – and it’s not in any way considered a collateral damage,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The percentage of the people who are killed in such a populated and dense area – it’s not justifiable,” Magnier said.

He added, however, that is not surprising that the focus is going on Nasrallah, rather than “the civilians who perished because of the Israeli strike” given the Israeli military actions against Palestinians.

“We have seen Israel and the Americans covering it, committing it all the war crimes, crimes against humanity and intent of genocide under our watchful eyes and the international community’s eyes in Gaza and the West Bank – and the world did nothing,” Magnier said.


Hezbollah’s structure and the challenges it faces

Hassan Nasrallah is not the person who actually directs military operations. He signs off on them.

Hezbollah is made up of at least three parts. There is a military wing, a political wing – they have members of parliament, they are part and parcel of Lebanese political society – and a charitable wing, running schools and hospitals.

If Nasrallah has indeed been killed, whoever replaces him will take on the mantle of those three things.

But last week, there have been assassinations of key military leaders. That is going to be more crippling to the organisation as these people have the military and battlefield experience. Replacing them will be a bigger challenge, particularly in the midst of this intense escalation.



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

‘Extremely hard for resistance supporters to accept Nasrallah assassination’

Military analyst Elijah Magnier says that following the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah “became the non-declared leader of the Axis of Resistance”.

The term refers to Iran-aligned armed groups in the Middle East, including in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. “He acquired a large knowledge of the capability of all the members but also knew how to deal with the Iranians and how to be an organic part of Iran,” Magnier noted.

“But at the same time, allow the interests of Lebanon to prevail over any other interests – keeping in mind his focus was on Palestine and fighting the United States hegemony in the Middle East.

“For that, he gained a lot of popularity and it is going to be extremely hard for the people of Lebanon who believe in the resistance to accept this assassination and the news of his death, because there is no other leader of the same charisma – not the leadership but the charisma – that Nasrallah enjoyed in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East among those who supported the resistance.”


Israel on high alert following claimed killing of Nasrallah

Israel is on high alert for a wider conflict after it claimed to have killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in Beirut, but hopes his death will cause Hezbollah to change course, a military spokesperson has said.

“We hope this will change Hezbollah’s actions,” Nadav Shoshani said during a media briefing. “We’ve seen Hezbollah carry out attacks against us for a year. It’s safe to assume that they are going to continue carrying out their attacks against us or try to,” he said.


Israeli claim that it does not intentionally target civilians is ‘nonsense’

The claim by Israeli officials that the army is not intentionally targeting civilians but instead carrying out precise strikes on Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon is “nonsense”, Mohamad Elmasry, an analyst at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, has told Al Jazeera.

The Dahiyeh doctrine, named after Beirut’s southern suburb that Israel hit in its 2006 war, calls for the deliberate targeting of civilians to create deterrence against Hezbollah.

“The role of the Israeli military is not only to eliminate Hezbollah leaders, but to punish civilians,” Elmasry said. “This military doctrine has been quite clearly enacted in Lebanon and in Gaza.”

Israeli media published the “100:1 ratio” describing the army doctrine according to which it was acceptable to kill 100 civilians in Gaza for one Hamas commander.

“This is a great violation of the principles of proportionality and distinction in international law,” Elmasry said. “I think Israel will ultimately be found guilty of genocide, however, the question is whether this will have an impact.”

“Will European powers and the United States enforce this and arrest Israeli leaders?” he added. “I have my doubts.”



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Displaced families camp out in central Beirut after Israel bombs southern suburbs


Families with children spend the night outdoors in the central Beirut district


A child sleeps on the streets in Martyrs’ Square

‘Humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels’: OCHA

“Due to the scale of escalation and displacement, humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels that have exhausted current humanitarian efforts and resources,” the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Lebanon said in a post on X.

“Urgent support is needed at various levels and the priority is to protect civilians and support the government and partners in assessing and meeting needs,” it added.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Beirut overnight after the Israeli army issued several rounds of evacuation orders for the city’s southern suburbs as it carried out an unprecedented wave of air attacks there.

This has compounded a displacement crisis in a city already teeming with people who have arrived in recent days fleeing Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon.


Lebanon’s displaced ‘traumatised due to bombardment, uncertainty’

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure as Israel continues its air attacks on Lebanon.

“We have opened seven shelters for the displaced, currently hosting 1,600 including Lebanese, Palestinian & Syrian,” Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

He added that many people are traumatised due to the ongoing bombardment, uncertainty and fears. “For some, it is trauma re-lived given repeated cycles of conflict over the decades,” Lazzarini said, warning that “a further expansion of the war will only bring more suffering for civilians”.



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Lebanon Civil Defense says one staff killed in Beirut

The organisation says one of its staff has been killed while providing emergency services in southern Beirut, in the aftermath of the intense Israeli attacks on Friday evening.

Another staff member is in critical condition, Lebanon’s Civil Defense added.

In a separate statement, Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on hospitals in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to stop admitting non-emergency cases until the end of next week to make room for patients from Beirut’s southern suburbs.


Hezbollah announces more attacks on Israel

In statement released successively on the group’s Telegram channel, Hezbollah claimed its third, fourth and fifth attacks of the day on Israeli positions.

It said that it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers at the “al-Sadah” military site with artillery shells, and fired rocket salvoes at the northern Israeli towns of Sa’ar near the Mediterranean coast and Rosh Pina near the occupied Golan Heights.


More on latest Israeli attacks on Lebanon

One of the latest Israeli air raids targeted a house in the town of Blat in southern Lebanon’s Marjayoun district, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The agency also reported that an Israeli aircraft attacked the outskirts of the Tayr Debba town in the southern district of Tyre, and a car on the Dahr al-Baydar mountain pass that links Beirut and Damascus on the edge of the Bekaa Valley.

There was also a raid on the coastal line near the southern town of Aadloun against a building, NNA said. It was not yet clear if these attacks led to any deaths.


Lebanon blocked Iranian plane after Israeli threat

We earlier reported that Beirut’s airport had asked an Iranian plane to not to enter Lebanese airspace and not to land.

Now, the country’s National News Agency says that the control tower at Beirut airport informed the Iranian plane, which was a cargo plane, that it had received a threat from the Israeli military that it would be bombed if it landed.

The plane then turned back towards Tehran.

Reuters news agency reports that Lebanon’s Transport Ministry stopped the plane from landing after Israel warned air traffic control at the airport that it would use “force” if the plane landed, according to a source at the ministry.

The source told the agency it was not clear what was on the plane. “The priority is people’s lives,” the source added.


Israeli forces say 140 Hezbollah targets hit in Lebanon since evening

The Israeli army says it struck more than 140 Hezbollah targets since Friday evening, including infrastructure that was “embedded underneath residential buildings in the area of Beirut”.

The latest wave of attacks on Beirut levelled multiple residential buildings in the densely populated southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital, with Israel being accused of using “bunker-busting” bombs.

The nonstop Israeli bombardment has forced thousands of people from their homes onto Beirut’s streets.



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SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Hezbollah confirms assassination of leader

In a statement, the Lebanese group has confirmed Israeli claims that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed yesterday.

Here are some highlights from the statement:

  • His Eminence, the Master of Resistance, the righteous servant, has passed away to be with his Lord and to His pleasure as a great martyr,
  • His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whose path he led for nearly thirty years, during which he led them from victory to victory.
  • We offer our condolences … to Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, may his shadow endure, the great authorities, the mujahideen, the believers, the nation of resistance, our patient and struggling Lebanese people, the entire Islamic nation, all the free and oppressed people in the world, and his honorable and patient family.
  • We offer our condolences and congratulations to his fellow martyrs who joined his pure and holy procession following the treacherous Zionist raid on the southern suburb.
  • The leadership of Hezbollah pledges … that it will continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defense of Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people.
  • To the honorable mujahideen and the victorious and triumphant heroes of the Islamic Resistance, you are the trust of the beloved martyr Sayyid [Nasrallah].


Nuclear weapons and possible regional escalation scenarios

The potential for major regional escalation is high and could come in different forms, according to Sami al-Arian, director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Zaim University.

He told Al Jazeera that “one form obviously is a regional war that Iran would be part of”.

“But I doubt that that would be a beginning. I think there will be major retaliatory strikes coming from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and other places, possibly. That may lead to a regional war depending on how Israel responds,” al-Arian said.

He also said that “apparently, Israel is trying to get a regional war, particularly a few weeks before the presidential elections in America, trying to draw America into this fight”, adding that Israel has “a major interest in trying to get Iran’s power degraded, particularly its nuclear programme”.

“There is also a theory that Iran has been waiting until it develops that nuclear weapon and didn’t want to escalate before it actually has that weapon. Whether that is true or not, we have to wait and see,” al-Arian said.

“There is no evidence that it has the weapon, but it has the capability of having it, particularly after it has massively enriched uranium to the point where it can get a nuclear weapon within a few weeks. Whether they make the decision to have it or not, that remains to be seen,” he added.

 

‘The worst is to come regardless of the outcome of the strike on Nasrallah’

We’ve spoken to Joseph Bahout, the Beirut-based director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, about Israel’s ongoing assault on Lebanon and what could happen next.

Here’s what he said about the situation in Beirut this morning:

“I’m talking to you and there’s a drone flying over the southern suburb where I live some 500-600metres from. Bombings have not stopped all night long – you can see pictures of people on the streets, on the roads, sleeping in open-air spaces, really left alone without any care and sometimes without any food to eat.

“So Lebanon today is a complete mess, it’s a country in chaos and I think that the worst is to come regardless of the political and military results of the strike on Hassan Nasrallah or not.

And here are Bahout’s comments about how things might play out:

“There are a series of questions – what will the death of Hassan Nasrallah and then what does this change in the Lebanese domestic equation?

“Hezbollah is a very powerful party within the Lebanese chessboard; of course the party is now weakened and decimated for a while but I think it will bounce back, at least politically internally. So we’ll have to see what will be the behaviour of the party – and that has to do with the regional conundrum.

“And then are the next steps in the Israeli-Lebanese war. We are faced with one or two strong scenarios.

“Either Netanyahu and the Israeli leadership will take this as an opportunity to push the momentum and maybe try to get it to a ground offensive against Lebanon, taking benefit of the probably enormous disarray that Hezbollah is in today, or it will upscale and continue this massive bombing campaign, as it is the case right now, in order to force Hezbollah, if it remains intact, to sign a sort of ceasefire and revise the security arrangement in the south.”



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

‘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



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Hamas mourns Hezbollah leader’s killing

“We extend our sincere condolences, sympathy and solidarity to the brotherly Lebanese people and brothers in Hezbollah and the Islamic resistance in Lebanon,” Hamas said in a statement, coming moments after Hezbollah confirmed the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike on Beirut yesterday.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this barbaric Zionist aggression and the targeting of residential buildings … in the southern suburb of Beirut, and we consider this a cowardly act of terrorism, a massacre and a heinous crime, which proves once again the bloodiness and brutality of this occupation,” the group added.

Hamas hailed Nasrallah’s support of the Palestinian cause and also condemned the US for supporting Israel.

“History has proven that the resistance against the Zionist enemy, in all its factions and places of presence, whenever its leaders go as martyrs, has a generation of leaders to lead them on the same path,” the group also said.


Iraq declares three days of mourning after Nasrallah killing

Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has declared a three-day mourning period across Iraq following confirmation of Hassan Nasrallah’s killing in yesterday’s Israeli air attack on Beirut.

“To God we belong and to Him we shall return,” a statement said. It came shortly after influential Iraqi Shia Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr also announced three days of mourning.

The Iraqi prime minister called the Israeli bombardment of southern Beirut on Friday a “shameful attack” and “a crime that shows the Zionist entity has crossed all the red lines”.



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

‘World a safer place’ after killing of Nasrallah: Israeli military

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari has called Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah one of Israel’s “greatest enemies” and claimed his killing made the world “safer”. In a televised briefing, Hagari said the group’s remaining senior members would still be targeted.

He added that the “Hezbollah headquarters” in Beirut where the group’s leader was killed was a legitimate military target under international law.

Israel carried out a large strike on Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs on Friday evening, flattening at least six residential buildings in the process.

Under international law, the harm caused to civilians must not exceed but be proportional to the military advantage anticipated.


Iran says Nasrallah’s path to continue

Iran’s foreign ministry says the path of Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah will continue despite his killing in an Israeli air strike on Beirut yesterday.

“The glorious path of the leader of the resistance, Hassan Nasrallah, will continue and his sacred goal will be realised in the liberation of Quds [Jerusalem], God willing,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani on X mourning his death.

Iranian president says Nasrallah killing to ‘strengthen resistance’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a statement on the killing of Nasrallah, saying it “will only further strengthen the resistance”.

He added that the international community will not forget that the order for this “terrorist attack” was issued from New York, likely referring to Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the UN General Assembly on Friday.

Pezeshkian also said the US cannot deny complicity in Nasrallah’s killing.


Gallant says Nasrallah assassination ‘one of the most important’ operations in Israeli history

Israel’s defence minister says the killing of Hezbollah’s leader is one of the most important “countermeasures” in Israel’s history, in comments carried by Israeli media.

“Whoever starts a war against Israel and tries to harm its citizens will pay a very heavy price. Even today, we are not stopping,” Gallant continued.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have exacted a heavy toll on the civilian population, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry saying at least 11 people were killed yesterday, adding to the more than 700 killed in attacks on the country since Monday.


Lebanese army tanks deployed in Beirut in anticipation of possible protests

We are receiving reports that Lebanese armoured vehicles have been deployed near Beirut’s Burj Al-Ghazal bridge in anticipation of possible clashes, after Hezbollah’s announcement that its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air attack last night.

The bridge divides the Shia neighbourhood of Khandaa al-Ghami and the Christian neighbourhood of Achrafieh. Protests have previously broken out between residents on the two sides.


Amal Movement says Nasrallah’s killing will only increase resistance

Lebanon’s Amal Movement, Hezbollah’s political ally, has issued a statement mourning the assassination of Nasrallah.

Describing the Hezbollah leader as “a unique and courageous figure”, the group’s presidency promised his death would not weaken “the resolve of the resistance fighters”. The movement said Israel’s “terrorism and its aggression” has exceeded all limits and moral, as well as humanitarian rules.

It pledged to “the martyr” it will remain “shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, and arm to arm, and killing and aggression will only increase our steadfastness in defending Lebanon”.



SvennoJ on 28 September 2024

Tehran not ready to grant Netanyahu his dream of fighting Iran: Analyst

Ali Rizk, security and political analyst, has told Al Jazeera that “Iran will probably not opt for an all-out escalation against Israel because that would play to Israel’s advantages.”

“Iranians have proven to be rather strategic and also at the same time, rather pragmatic thinkers. You are going to see the usual Iranian approach of trying to weaken the Israeli side via proxy,” he said.

Rizk said Hezbollah still possesses significant military capabilities and there were also Iran’s allies in Yemen and Iraq that could be used by Iran.

“It has been Benjamin Netanyahu’s dream for so long, since maybe the beginning of his political career, to fight Iran to the very last American and I don’t think the Iranians are ready to grant him that wish,” he said.


Iran’s national airline cancels Beirut flights

A spokesperson for Iran Air has announced the cancellation of all flights to Rafic Hariri airport in Beirut until further notice.


Lebanese and Syrians flee violence across border to Syria: UNHCR

“More than 50,000 Lebanese and Syrians living in Lebanon have now crossed into Syria fleeing Israeli airstrikes,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a post on X.

“Well over 200,000 are displaced inside Lebanon.”

He added that relief operations are under way in both countries.