Israel’s military onslaught on Lebanon persists, the armed forces claiming success in striking numerous targets manned by the Hizbullah militia. This surge in aggression follows the confirmed assassination of Hizbullah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, by an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The strife between Israel and Hizbullah spanned through the night to the early hours, with Israeli air attack vehicles launching assaults on south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley. Hizbullah, in turn, responded with a missile barrage using their Fadi-1 range of rockets on Sunday morning, according to a recent communique. However, it remains unclear whether Hizbullah’s counter-strike caused any Israeli casualties.
Among the fatalities from Israel’s nocturnal aerial onslaught were four medical personnel at their place of work – a healthcare centre in Tair Dirba, south Lebanon. Lebanon’s National News Agency relayed this report on Sunday. The previous day, Israeli assaults resulted in 33 deaths and 195 injuries, as stated by the country’s Ministry of Health.
In the past week, the Israeli assault on Lebanon, including a severe strike on a heavily inhabited part of southern Beirut, has caused the death of hundreds, children included. The Beirut strike is said to have resulted in Nasrallah’s death alongside the destruction of multiple apartment complexes last Friday.
In reaction, Iran made a promise to retaliate for Nasrallah’s death on Saturday. Contrarily, the US President, Joe Biden, referred to Nasrallah’s murder as a sort of recompense for his numerous victims. However, Biden failed to mention the civilian casualties, including children, inflicted by Israeli attacks during the week.
Lebanon’s government office has announced an official mourning period for Nasrallah, set to last for three days starting from Monday. Hizbullah is yet to disclose details about his funeral.
Targeting Nasrallah was a prerequisite to achieving set goals, according to the public statement by Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Mr Netanyahu said, in his first public statement since the murder: “He [Nasrallah] wasn’t another terrorist, he was the terrorist.”
In an effort to bring dislocated Israelis back to their homes in the northern part of the country and to pressure Hamas to release Israeli prisoners in Gaza, the death of Mr Nasrallah was seen as advantageous, according to unnamed sources. However, the imminent threat of reprisal was noted, with Mr Netanyahu cautioning that substantial hurdles lie ahead. He also issued a warning to Iran against considering any form of attack, asserting that there is no location in Iran or the Middle East that’s beyond the reach of Israel. He emphasised the veracity of this statement.
The Lebanese health department reports that the casualty toll from Israeli assaults over the past fortnight stands at over 1,000 deaths and upward of 6,000 injuries. The relentless bombardment has also led to the displacement of about one million Lebanese citizens, with hundreds of thousands having to flee their homes since last Friday alone. This news was confirmed by Nasser Yassin, the minister in charge of the government’s crisis response, to Reuters, according to a report in the Guardian.