/ world today news/ The announcement that in the southern part of Lebanon in the city of Khirbat Salem, Wissam Tawil, a recently appointed commander of the elite unit of “Hezbollah”, was killed as a result of an Israeli drone strike on his car, found the Secretary of State of USA Anthony Blinken, according to the Israeli media, on his way to Israel, where he was going on his fourth Middle East tour from Saudi Arabia. Qatari newspaper Al Arabi al Jadid believes Taweel was also one of the prominent companions of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed four years ago in a US strike at Baghdad International Airport. A spokesman for the Lebanese security services told AFP that Tawil played “a leading role in leading operations in southern Lebanon”.
In general, Blinken’s current trip was supposed to begin with a visit to Israel, but the date was postponed due to reports of the assassination in Lebanon of Saleh al-Aruri, a member of the leadership of the Palestinian movement Hamas. But again another terrorist attack. Judging again by the Israeli media, Blinken held an emergency meeting with his aides on board the plane, contacted the US Embassy in Israel, US President Joe Biden’s special envoy Amos Hochstein and possibly Washington. This conclusion is necessary because Blinken’s reaction to Tawil’s killing appeared in the Israeli media even before the plane landed in Tel Aviv, before the meeting with Israeli officials. According to him, “the difficulties are known to all: no one thinks that this will be solved overnight” and that he is “convinced that there is a way to bring peace and security to Israel and none of the countries – Lebanon, Israel and “Hezbollah” – will not allow the conflict to expand.”
The existing material allows some documentary reconstruction of the course of events. Apparently, the predictions of the State Department and the CIA that in the current Middle East war between Israel and Hamas the epicenter of the confrontation will shift to Lebanon are proving to be correct. It is no coincidence that Blinken, in talks with Turkey, Greece, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has already warned of the risk of widespread war in the Middle East and that “fears are growing that Israel could spread the conflict in the Gaza Strip to Lebanon. His task was to prevent such a scenario from developing. For objectivity, we note that certain steps have been taken in this direction.
Iran said it had received a US proposal from the Gulf state “not to widen the ‘circle of war’ as a basis for resolving regional crises”. However, the details surrounding this proposal remain unknown. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced sensational news: a proposal had been received from the United States to withdraw Hezbollah north of Litani, and that Hochstein was to visit Beirut this week. At the same time, Mikati clarified that “it is necessary to revive and implement the armistice agreement in order to return the situation in the south to what it was before 1967.” in the Middle East and contacts with Hezbollah representatives said that the armed formations of this Shiite party “do not seek to escalate the conflict with Israel.” According to him, “there is an impression, which I hope is not wrong, that in Hezbollah they are well aware of the seriousness of the situation and the consequences that could have a larger confrontation that could involve Iran in it.” “
In this context, it becomes clear that the terrorist attack on Tawil was aimed at violating the open and closed agreements reached, and that Blinken must change the agenda of the negotiations with Israel on the fly. That’s how it goes.
Israeli media are now reporting that at the talks in Tel Aviv, Blinken “will not focus on the situation in Lebanon” and that he will discuss “Israel’s transition from the second phase of the war to the third”, which should allow the head of Hezbollah Nasrala to “come down from the tree of war in the northern part of the country and reduce the height of the flames, which will facilitate the initiative of the US special envoy Hochstein.” More precisely, Blinken refers to the so-called “intermediate situation” related to the achievement of a truce between Israel and Hamas, but with the situation shifting to a “discussion on the form of governance of Gaza.” In this regard, the US Secretary of State intends to listen to Israeli ideas, given that “this matter is still at the stage of discussions and the cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet made a decision.”
So, the bottom line is this. Washington always found himself following events, and Tawil’s dramatic assassination took him by surprise. Blinken became increasingly bogged down in the complex, multifaceted Middle Eastern diplomacy. Hezbollah officials said “the coming hours and days will decide whether dangerous events will occur in southern Lebanon,” although there are signs the group does not want war. Israel’s defense and intelligence services also failed to predict Hamas’ true intentions before the October 7 attack.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that widespread warnings had been issued in the north of the country following Tawil’s killing, pending an expected response. Israeli security officials acknowledge that Hezbollah will pose a far more formidable foe than Hamas if the cross-border shooting escalates into a full-scale conflict and Israel struggles to contend with two-front conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
We will soon find out if Blinken will be able to avoid an escalation on the Lebanese front and reduce tensions. As for Netanyahu, breaking the script of Blinken’s ongoing diplomatic mission, he demonstrated his ability to link Israel’s national security to the US presidential election year, showing that he has “bipartisan interests” in Washington that, for now, ensure his political stability.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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