New Israeli bombings in Lebanon leave almost 60 dead

Lebanon., The Israeli army launched a barrage of bombings against Hezbollah in Lebanon this Sunday that left almost 60 dead, two days after assassinating the leader of the Lebanese Islamist movement, Hasan Nasrallah, along with dozens of other members of the group in another attack.

On another front, Israel said it hit Houthi rebel targets in western Yemen after these pro-Iran insurgents claimed responsibility for launching a missile at Tel Aviv airport.

These bombings caused four deaths, according to Yemeni rebel media.

“No place is too far” for Israel, warned Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after the bombings.

Maintaining military pressure against Hezbollah, a pro-Iran Shiite formation, the Israeli army said it hit 120 targets in Lebanon.

AFP correspondents heard a loud explosion and saw plumes of smoke rising from the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, where Nasrallah was killed on Friday in an Israeli bombardment that leveled entire buildings.

The body of the leader of the Lebanese movement “was found on Saturday and was wrapped in a shroud,” said a source close to the organization, specifying that the funeral date has not yet been set.

In southern Lebanon, 32 people were killed in attacks near Sidon, and in the east of the country at least 25 were killed, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. In the last 48 hours, 14 rescuers were killed in Israeli attacks, according to the same source.

Total war “must be avoided”

The Israeli army claimed to have killed on Friday, along with Nasrallah, more than 20 Hezbollah members of various ranks present in the underground headquarters located under civilian buildings.

Iran reported that a top commander of the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic’s ideological army, also died in Friday’s attack. His death “will not go unanswered,” Iranian authorities warned.

Hezbollah, financed and armed by Iran, was created in 1982 during the civil war in Lebanon, at the initiative of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

The death of Nasrallah, who was considered the most powerful man in Lebanon, constitutes a great victory for Israel against its archenemy Iran and its allies, but pushes the region into uncharted territory.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, stated this Sunday that an all-out war in the Middle East “must be avoided” and the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, landed in Lebanon to “meet with local authorities and provide support.” , especially humanitarian”.

Despite Israel’s incessant attacks, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets into Israeli territory.

“We are afraid of a total escalation,” said Matan Sofer, a resident of the Israeli town of Rosh Pina, located about 30 kilometers from the border with Lebanon.

Afp’s photo

Up to a million displaced people

Nasrallah, 64, was revered among the Shiite community in Lebanon. Leader of Hezbollah since 1992, he had lived in hiding for years and rarely appeared in public.

His cousin Hashem Safieddine, a leading figure in the powerful pro-Iran movement, is emerging as his possible successor.

When asked about the consequences for civilians of the Israeli bombings in Gaza and Lebanon, Pope Francis responded: “A country that uses force to act in this way, whatever country it may be, that acts in such an excessive way, [se presta a] immoral actions.”

Iran, for its part, called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to avoid “a total war” in the region.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that close to a million people could have been displaced by the Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

“It could be the largest population displacement in the history of Lebanon,” he declared.

According to the UN, Israeli bombings forced 50,000 people to flee from Lebanon to Syria and more than 200,000 are displaced within the country.

A “difficult dilemma” for Iran

Nasrallah’s death is a blow to Hezbollah, which must decide whether to respond, and also poses challenges for Iran, experts say.

Nasrallah’s assassination “has not changed the fact that Iran remains unwilling to become directly involved” in the current conflict, noted Ali Vaez of the International Crisis group.

But it puts Iran in a “difficult dilemma,” Vaez said.

Hezbollah opened a front against Israel in support of its ally Hamas in the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the attack by the Palestinian movement on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.

After a year of cross-border clashes, the army launched a massive bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon almost a week ago.

Israel says it seeks to restore security in the north of the country, the target of Hezbollah’s fire, and allow the return of tens of thousands of residents who fled their homes.