Netanyahu violating state sovereignty with complicity of US, Europe: French MP

“Appalled by the scale of the ongoing massacre in Lebanon,” Jean-Luc Melenchon, a left-wing French politician and a former Member of the European Parliament, said in a post on X.

“Netanyahu is violating the sovereignty of states throughout the region with the complicity of Europe and the USA. The genocide in Gaza is spreading without limits.”

Jean-Luc Melenchon, a left-wing French politician and former Member of the European Parliament, has said the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah “is one more step towards the invasion of Lebanon and general war”.

In a post on X, he said: “France no longer counts on the ground. Netanyahu’s crimes will continue since they are unpunished. The danger is extreme for the region and the world.”

Turkish president calls for UN action to stop Israeli attacks in Lebanon

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Lebanon is the new target of Israel’s policy of “genocide, occupation, and invasion” and urged the UN Security Council and other bodies to stop the attacks.

The Israeli government is “becoming more reckless” as it is backed by world powers that provide it with weapons and ammunition to commit “massacres”, the Turkish president said in a post on X.

“It’s challenging all humanity, human values ​​and international law,” he added.

Erdogan also said Turkey stood with the Lebanese people and government, offering his condolences for those killed in the Israeli strikes, while saying the Muslim world should show a more “determined” stance.

Any ceasefire talk now ‘out of context’

Meron Rapoport, a Tel Aviv-based investigative journalist and the editor of the Hebrew-language news site Local Call, says a chance for a ceasefire is very small after Nasrallah’s killing.

“To talk about a ceasefire now seems out of context,” he told Al Jazeera.

Looking ahead, Rapoport said a continuation of Hezbollah attacks in Israel is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli leadership to launch a ground invasion in Lebanon.

“If Hezbollah continues firing rockets into Israel in the next weeks, then the effect of the killing of Nasrallah will dissipate a little bit in the Israeli public and there will be a call – certainly from the residents of the north, who left their houses and cannot go back – to push for a ground operation in Lebanon,” he added.

Commenting on the prospect of a political solution in such a scenario, Rapoport said it currently looked “unlikely, but not impossible”.

Some US officials applaud news of Nasrallah's death — even as fears of wider conflict grow

Some senior US officials celebrated the news of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death in a major Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon — even despite growing concerns about the possibility of another full-scale war breaking out in the Middle East.

“It’s welcome,” one senior US administration official told CNN after both the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death. “He has massive American blood on his hands.”

President Joe Biden and the White House have yet to comment on the news of Nasrallah’s death, and the US has not said whether its own intelligence confirms his killing. The biggest question and concern for the Biden administration is what implications Nasrallah’s death will have in the coming days and weeks in the region, where the risk of escalation and a widening conflict had already been high.

Had the events of the past few days taken place six months ago, the risk of a second major war might have been even greater, the senior US administration official said. But Hezbollah and Iran — which backs the militant group — have been weakened, the official added.

Another senior US official previously told CNN that the US believes Iran will intervene in the conflict if they determine that they are about to “lose” Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy group.

The US has been leading an effort on a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border. Those talks now appear entirely up in the air. While US officials had initially suggested that both sides would swiftly agree to the framework, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly threw water on the ceasefire proposal, angering US officials.

And Gaza has pretty much been forgotten already.


Four killed following Israeli military attacks in central Gaza

There have been several deadly Israeli military attacks in the Nuseirat and Maghazi areas of central Gaza in recent hours, the Wafa news agency reports.

Gaza’s civil defence recovered two lifeless bodies from the rubble, along with several injured people, after the Israeli military shelled the Harb family home in Block C of the Nuseirat refugee camp.

One person was also killed as a result of Israeli artillery shelling on Salah al-Din street opposite the Nuseirat refugee camp. A fourth person was killed when the Israeli military shelled the road separating the Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps.

Israeli forces also bombed the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City in northern Gaza, with no casualties reported.


Suffering for children ‘horrendous’ in Gaza: UNICEF

Conditions in Gaza are progressively deteriorating as the conflict approaches one year, James Elder, global spokesperson for UNICEF, has told Al Jazeera.

“Every time I come back it gets worse because it’s a cumulative crisis,” he said. “There are continuous denial and restrictions on aid and 85 percent of the Gaza Strip is under some form of evacuation order, which is why these indiscriminate attacks make so many victims.”

Elder said the suffering for children was especially acute. “I’ve seen children with fourth degree burns and I didn’t even know that was possible,” he said. “I’ve seen a young boy with burns so severe he didn’t even have skin left for skin graft surgery and the doctors have no anaesthetic for him.”

The UNICEF spokesperson added that a military solution would not be possible in Gaza. “It’s going to be a political solution and the sooner we come to that, the sooner we can end the horrendous suffering on women and children,” he said.

Gaza Health Ministry: Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 41,586 people

The ministry has provided an update on the death toll that has resulted from Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, saying that 41,586 people have been killed since October 7 last year and 96,210 have been wounded.

It added that in the past 48 hours alone, 52 people have been killed and 118 wounded.

New air attacks on Beirut’s Dahiyeh

We are getting reports of more air attacks on southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighbourhood.

Residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs shocked by Nasrallah’s killing

Lebanese media have released footage showing residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs breaking down in shock and grief after receiving confirmation from Hezbollah of Nasrallah’s killing.

Gunshots were heard in parts of Beirut as crowds marched shouting, “For you, Nasrallah!”

Translation: Anger and sadness among the people of the southern suburb after the announcement of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah. 

Air raid sirens sound in Tel Aviv

Air raid sirens have been heard in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel.

‘Israeli air strikes still continuing and Hezbollah still fighting back’

In the last few minutes alone, two air strikes took place just west of where I’m standing. I can actually see the smoke billowing up into the air. In the last hour, several air strikes have taken place to the east of me – very large ones.

Hezbollah has also been retaliating. There were five attacks into northern Israel after the announcement that Hassan Nasrallah had been killed.

We have seen strikes continue in Tyre, which is going to be worrying to a lot of people who fled there from Marjayoun seeking safety. They thought they would be safe in Tyre. Also, we have seen strikes in Baalbek and further afield as well.

The Israeli air strikes still continuing and Hezbollah still fighting back. And it’s likely that this is going to go on into the night.

More from Lebanese officials on death toll from Israeli attacks

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health has released a statement with the latest figures following the Israeli bombardment:

Yemen’s Houthis say Nasrallah’s killing increases ‘flame of sacrifice’

We also have reaction from the Yemeni group that has also been carrying out attacks in support of the Palestinians in Gaza following the start of Israel’s war on the besieged territory.

“The martyrdom of … Hassan Nasrallah will increase the flame of sacrifice, the heat of enthusiasm, the strength of resolve,” the Houthis said in a statement, promising to achieve “victory and the demise of the Israeli enemy”.

Israeli forces say missile from Yemen intercepted

The Israeli army has said in a statement it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen after sirens sounded in central Israel. It added that its aerial defence unit intercepted the projectile outside of Israel’s territory.

Israeli army bans gatherings of more than 1,000 people in central Israel

Israel’s Home Front Command has issued restrictions on gatherings in central Israel starting today, according to the military spokesman Daniel Hagari. Gatherings will be restricted to 1,000 people in various areas of central Israel, he said in a briefing.

Hagari added further possible changes to the restrictions would be announced if needed.

Banning protests....

As number or people killed rises, Gallant claims war ‘is not with Lebanese people’

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has issued a short statement following the confirmation of Nasrallah’s killing claiming that Israel’s war is not with the Lebanese people.

Addressing the Lebanese people, Gallant said, “It’s time for change.”

Israeli attacks over the past week on different parts of Lebanon have killed hundreds of people, including dozens of children, and forced the displacement of tens of thousands.

The massive air attack that killed Nasrallah on Friday occurred on a densely populated civilian area of southern Beirut, reducing several residential buildings to rubble. Israel claimed it targeted a Hezbollah command centre.

In his statement, Gallant also said, “To our enemies I say: we are strong and determined. To our partners, I would say: our war, is your war.”

China’s Wang calls for ceasefire without delay

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told the UN General Assembly that there must not be a delay in reaching a “comprehensive ceasefire”, as Israel continues attacking both Gaza and Lebanon.

Want also said a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians remains the way out of regional tensions.

Israeli military launches new strikes on southern Beirut

Earlier, we received reports that more air attacks have taken place in Beirut’s Dahiyeh area.

The Israeli military in a statement now says it conducted another attack in the area, which is home to about 700,000 people. Israel destroyed several residential buildings on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 100.

The casualty figures are expected to rise with search teams struggling to find bodies in the debris. Attacks by fighter jets continued on Saturday after the army said it told Lebanese residents to evacuate three more buildings.

Israel’s long-term strategy in Lebanon remains unclear

The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been hailed as a victory by Israel, but it remains unclear what ultimate victory looks like for Israel in Lebanon, according to Yezid Sayigh, senior analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

“Hezbollah is not going to disappear and nothing Israel has done so far will make it disappear,” Sayigh told Al Jazeera. “At the end of all this, there will be a Hezbollah, which may be licking its wounds” but will inevitably rebuild and rearm.

One win for Israel would be the return to the terms of UN Resolution 1701 of 2006, by which Hezbollah must withdraw its forces north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, the analyst said.

Another Israeli aim is to pressure Hezbollah to de-couple Gaza and Lebanon and accept a ceasefire without a cessation of hostilities in the besieged Strip.

“The question is, is Hezbollah now ready to de-link Gaza from Lebanon?” Sayigh asked. “I’m not convinced yet that Israel has secured that outcome.”

Next Hezbollah leader could be ‘more fierce’: Analyst

Hala Jaber, author of, Hezbollah: Born with a Vengeance, and a former correspondent for the Sunday Times, has told Al Jazeera from Beirut that losing Nasrallah is going to be “painful” for many people in Lebanon.

“There’s going to be grief, there is going to be sadness, there’s going to be emptiness because this leader has been on this journey with his people for 32 years,” she said.

“There is a generation that grew up with him … they listened to him, they supported him. He gave them hope, he gave them a voice, he gave them strength, he gave them freedom from an occupation.”

But Hezbollah is not based on one man, and the assassination of one man does not end the resistance, she said.

“Israel believes that by killing Nasrallah and his colleagues and other commanders, they have ended this organisation. But the history and the precedent has shown us that when one leader goes, another steps in,” Jaber added.

She said the new leadership is usually “more fierce, more determined and more ferocious”. Jaber said that was what happened when Hezbollah’s previous leader [Abbas] al-Musawi was assassinated by Israel in 1992 and Nasrallah took over.

“He led it, he reformed it, he matured it and he brought it to where it is today, a formidable organisation,” she said.

It 's what Netanyahu wants anyway, perpetual war.

US promises Israel protection from Iran on day of Nasrallah’s assassination

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant the United States is determined to prevent Iran and Iran-backed groups from expanding the conflict in Lebanon.

Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said in a statement that Austin expressed full US support for Israel’s right to defend itself on Friday, and “made it clear that the United States remains postured to protect US forces and facilities in the region and committed to the defence of Israel”.

Both Austin and US President Joe Biden said Israel gave them no advance warning of the deadly air strikes on southern Beirut that killed Nasrallah.


_{Defence chief Lloyd Austin, right, welcomes counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon in June}

Biden repeats US ‘fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself’

US President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the killing of Nasrallah, calling it “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians”.

Biden said the US “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups”.

He added that his government was enhancing “the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war”.

There was no mention in Biden’s statement about the civilians, including the dozens of children, who have been killed since Israel intensified its bombing campaign across Lebanon on Monday.

The US is Israel’s main weapons supplier and diplomatic ally. Since the start of the war on Gaza in October, Washington has vetoed three UN Security Council proposals for a ceasefire in Gaza. It abstained on another vote in March demanding an immediate ceasefire. Analysts have repeatedly warned that the US’s failure to apply pressure on Israel to end the war on Gaza and prevent escalation in Lebanon is leading the region to an all-out war.

_{Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and US President Joe Biden}

Lebanon destabilisation ‘not in Israel’s security interest’: Germany

The German government has said the killing of Nasrallah in a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon could have negative repercussions for Israel’s own security.

In an interview to German TV channel ARD, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the “highly dangerous” situation after Nasrallah’s killing “threatens destabilisation for the whole of Lebanon”.

“That is in no way in Israel’s security interest,” she said.

Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank decry killing of Nasrallah

Gaza City resident Khalil Youssef, 45, said that “the martyrdom” of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was “a great loss for us as Palestinians”. “He was a rare man who stood against the occupation and supported us,” Youssef told AFP. “He never wavered in his resistance to Israel.”

Another Gaza City resident said Palestinians in Gaza had lost a “rare resistance leader”.

Lebanon PM condemns Israeli attack that killed Nasrallah, civilians

Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s interim prime minister, has denounced Friday’s air attacks that also killed Lebanese civilians in the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of Beirut.

In a televised statement, Mikati called for the Lebanese people to “stand united in the face of aggression” as the country remains on the brink of a humanitarian and economic crisis.

Speaking at an emergency cabinet meeting that he convened upon returning from the UN General Assembly in New York, Mikati also announced that all state-run institutions would be closed on Monday.

Iran’s supreme leader declares 5 days of mourning for slain Hezbollah chief

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared five days of public mourning for Hassan Nasrallah.

“I … offer my condolences for the martyrdom of the great Nasrallah and his martyred companions and announce five days of public mourning in Islamic Iran,” Khamenei said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran unlikely to risk national interests for Lebanon or Palestine: Analyst

There seems to be an overwhelming desire on the part of Israel – both its establishment and society – to continue with the war in Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara.

“They want to finish off Hezbollah, whatever that means, and to create enough of a schism between Hezbollah and the Iranians and the Lebanese society or the Lebanese state,” he said.

Bishara added that Israel believes it has eroded Hezbollah’s capabilities and now is the time to double down until most of the group’s rocket launchers are destroyed. “Of course, they are also trying to look at what this really means regionally, whether Iran and its allies will respond, and this really becomes a regionalised war,” he said.

But Iran does not seem to be interested in a confrontation with Israel, he noted. “The new president and the Iranian establishment, as well as Iran in general, are not ready to pay any price for what is happening in Lebanon or Palestine. Iran will continue to support its allies but not at the risk of the Iranian national interest,” Bishara said.

UN chief ‘gravely concerned’ by ‘dramatic escalation’ in Lebanon

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “gravely concerned” by the “dramatic escalation” seen in Lebanon in the past day, his spokesperson has said in a statement, as Israel continues to pound Beirut and other areas.

“This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war,” the statement added.

US State Department orders certain employees to leave Lebanon

The US State Department on Saturday ordered certain employees and their family members to depart Lebanon as the conflict threatens to deepen following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The ordered departure of non-emergency personnel is not an evacuation of the entire embassy, but it does reflect the increased volatility in the country and its capital of Beirut.

“On September 28 the Department of State ordered the departure of non-mission-employed EFMs and authorized departure for mission-employed EFMs (eligible family members) and non-essential USDH (US direct hire) employees due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in Beirut,” the State Department said in an updated travel advisory.

“U.S. Embassy Beirut personnel are restricted from personal travel without advance permission,” it said, noting that additional travel restrictions could be imposed “with little to no notice due to increased security issues or threats.”

The department said commercial flights are still available “at reduced capacity,” but noted that those options could become unavailable should the security situation become worse.

Earlier Saturday, the State Department launched a form for US citizens in Lebanon who are interested in assistance departing the country.

I understand your point of creating a power vacuum in Hesbollah and Isreal and how that might cause things to be worse like when the US took out Gadafi and fucked up all of northern Africa and I know Pakistan nor Netanyahu would pull the nuvlear option but alas, I had to know the repercussions. Apparently it would cause a small nuclear winter for the Northern hemisphere but experts are split on wheter it would impact us so badly enough to impact our civilization. What is guaranteed is a dark summer, crop failure that year or teo but then some think it'd might as well be between Russia and the US for all the difference it make and that it'd end us, I found one quote that said there is no such thing as a small nuclear war. I don't get it though, I can't see how it'd knock up that much dirt and there is nothing in the middle East to burn so no wildfire to exasperate things. I mean, I'm no expert but I think the experts are being hyperbolic here on how bad it would be just to cause fear and enforce the idea of MAD for the region. There also isn't as much dirt to get thrown up into the atmosphere, the sand should melt and the mushroom clouds shouldn't be as dense as if say New York was nuked for obvious reasons. 

There is plenty to burn in the ME, Israel and Lebanon have been putting fires out from stray rockets for months. There are over 88 million people in Iran with big cities just like NY.

Theran Milad Tower. Tehran population 8.7 million.


Israel is far smaller, population 9.5 million. Tel Aviv is pretty big as well though, population 450K

Jerusalem has another 874K population

Of course there would also be panic all over the world, disruption to trade next to nuclear fallout.

Let's hope Netanyahu never gets to the point of all out nuking Iran. Luckily Iran is playing the adult so far, not willing to grant Netanyahu his wish of an all out war with Israel. A 'conventional' all out war would already be too devastating with global repercussions.

The current 'adventures' of Israel already contribute greatly to global warming

The Gaza war is an environmental catastrophe

Toxic waste, water-borne diseases, vast carbon emissions: Dr. Mariam Abd El Hay describes the myriad harms of Israel’s assault to the region’s ecosystems.

https://www.972mag.com/gaza-war-environmental-catastrophe/



“Ever-worsening shortages of water and electricity. Catastrophic flooding in dense urban areas. Food insecurity exacerbated by drastic temperature increases, reduction in overall rainfall, and the long-term impact of toxic chemicals.”

This is what climate researchers Khalil Abu Yahia, Natasha Westheimer, and Mor Gilboa, writing in +972 Magazine more than two years ago, predicted was in store for Gaza’s near-term future. Israel’s ceaseless bombardment of the Strip over the past 11 months has caused unspeakable humanitarian consequences, but it will also have dramatic and lasting effects on Gaza’s already imperiled natural environment — and indeed, that of the entire region.

“It is near impossible to think about the climate crisis amongst this much death and destruction,” Westheimer wrote this past November, after Abu Yahia was killed in an Israeli airstrike. “But the reality is, this last month has set Gaza even deeper into a humanitarian crisis, and its two million residents are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than ever.”

In June, the Center for Applied Environmental Diplomacy at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies published an extensive new report on the environmental impact of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. The report covers myriad environmental harms of the war — from the vast amount of toxic dust released by bombing buildings, to the breakdown of waste management, and the destruction of water treatment facilities and proliferation of water-borne illnesses.

While it is Palestinians in Gaza who face the most severe threat, the report makes clear that the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is part of one ecosystem, in which health and environment are interconnected in a vulnerable equilibrium. This was made particularly evident by the recent discovery of poliovirus in Gaza’s wastewater. The Israeli army set about delivering Polio booster shots to Israeli soldiers, before eventually agreeing to a vaccination campaign for Palestinian children in the territory under the age of 10; Israel has also taken a sudden interest in reconstructing the wastewater management infrastructure that it destroyed.

The report also highlights the link between armed conflict and global warming. On July 21, the planet experienced the hottest day on record; in the Middle East, temperatures are rising on average twice as fast as the rest of the world.



To better understand the environmental impact of the war, +972 spoke with Dr. Mariam Abd El Hay, a researcher in social dynamics and the environmental impacts of conflicts and a Palestinian citizen of Israel from the city of Tira.

....

Explosions crush building materials into tiny pieces, which releases toxic particles into the environment that are then absorbed by humans. Even though the highest exposure to these toxins occurs at the time of the explosion, the microparticles of dust and toxic ash are dispersed by wind, and picked up by footsteps and moving vehicles. The Israeli army has also used white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon which is highly toxic. As a result, while Gazans face the most dire health risks, Palestinians, Israelis, and all other living beings in the region will continue to suffer the consequences for years to come. 

In Gaza, asbestos, which is highly carcinogenic in the form of dust, is commonly used in construction, further elevating the risk of cancer through inhalation. It was already found in toxic dust following Israel’s bombardment of the Strip in 2021.

....

Tens of thousands of tons of residential waste have been accumulating in the streets and informal dumpsites, due to the shortage of fuel needed to operate waste management machinery. This can lead to soil and groundwater pollution, as well as contribute to excessive algae blooms along the coast, endangering marine life and bathers.

Inadequate waste management is also attracting animals, such as rats, that can transmit diseases to humans. The high temperatures and humidity in our region in the summer also create perfect conditions for the growth and reproduction of bacteria.

It is projected that the current war already yielded a minimum of 900,000 tons of toxic waste. These pollutants — which include radioactive and carcinogenic materials, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals, emitted both through the use of military munitions and in the destruction of buildings — persist in the environment, posing a threat to all forms of life, including animals and vegetation. They contaminate soil, air, and water sources, endangering ecosystems.

One ecosystem that is particularly threatened by toxic waste runoff is Wadi Gaza, a nature reserve within the Strip. Rich in biodiversity, this nine-kilometer-wide stretch of land runs westward from the border fence to the sea. It is an extension of the Besor Stream, which flows from Hebron in the West Bank through Be’er Sheva in Israel, into the Mediterranean Sea. Local water birds and migratory birds traveling across continents both rely on the coastal wetlands in this area as their habitat. 

Can you say more about the status of water treatment in Gaza?

The situation was already extremely fragile given that Israel has long controlled Gaza’s water supply, but it has been severely worsened by the war. The now damaged or destroyed infrastructure includes drinking water wells, water networks such as pumps and towers, sanitation and hygiene facilities, sewage networks, desalination plants, stormwater infrastructure, marine sewage outlets, and wastewater treatment plants. Furthermore, by mid-November, the lack of fuel made it inevitable that all five of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants and most of its 65 sewage pumping stations would close, as Oxfam reported. 

Before the war, 13,000 cubic meters of raw sewage flowed into the sea from Gaza every day. But now, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that this figure has skyrocketed to 130,000 cubic meters daily. And due to the breakdown of the wastewater treatment facilities, people are forced to consume brackish and contaminated water and use it for cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene.

Misery continued in the article https://www.972mag.com/gaza-war-environmental-catastrophe/