Mourners were out in numbers in southern Lebanon Thursday following the single deadliest day of Israeli airstrikes against the border region in some four months of escalating violence. Wednesday’s attacks appeared to be the start of a new campaign, as additional Israeli attacks were reported in the south on Thursday, leading to criticism by Lebanese PM Najib Mikati.
Israeli Army Chief Herzi Halevi suggested that the escalation was only beginning, declaring that the Israeli forces were “intensifying strikes all the time.” Israel reported “dozens” of Hezbollah targets were hit on Thursday, though confirmation of any casualties is not yet available. Similarly, return rockets fired by Hezbollah hit northern Israel without any casualties being reported.
Ten civilians were reported killed Wednesday, five of them identified as children. Seven of the civilians were killed in a single attack on a multi-story building in Nabatieh. Analysts suggested this amounted to Israel testing the limits of their current “rules of engagement” with strikes.
The other civilians slain were in Soueneh, where the Israeli attack killed a mother and two children. Three Hezbollah members were also reported killed, though there is some dispute as to their identities.
Israel identified one of the slain as a commander named Ali Muhammad Aldbas, along with his deputy and another unnamed figure. Hezbollah did confirm three members were lost in the attacks, but did not identify any of them, let alone mention losing a commander. This doesn’t preclude that Aldbas was among those killed, but Hezbollah almost always names commanders in statements when they are lost in a strike.
Hezbollah offered a statement promising retaliation for the latest attack, and indeed early reports were of dozens of rockets being fired from southern Lebanon at towns in northern Israel. There are as of yet no reports on the damage done in Israel or any casualties.
Hezbollah officials commenting on planned retaliation said Israel would “pay the price,” and added that they believed the organization has a “legitimate right to defend its people.”
Israel has been talking of an outright military offensive against southern Lebanon, with military figures saying tens of thousands of troops would be involved. It is expected that Israel will have to rely heavily on an air war in Lebanon, however, with so many of their troops already committed to the Gaza Strip.
The international community has tried to broker a deal which would avoid fighting on the northern Israeli border. So far Hezbollah has said any deal would necessarily have to include a Gaza ceasefire, which seems to be a non-starter in Israel. The Israeli military also appears keen to carry out the offensive in Lebanon, if for no other reason than to prove they can do so.
Hezbollah has build a very solid defensive position. However, if war comes, the IDF will out flank the Hezbollah defensive line and cut off their supplies. Of course, claims of Israel committing genocide in Lebanon will quickly follow.
Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah is neither defenseless nor friendless.
I didn’t say they were defenseless, just how I would go about dealing with them.
wow if only you were in charge!
stupid world, doesn’t realize how stupid we are.
if only Tim was here to save the day
Putting me in charge would be a great idea. But I am too busy enjoying life to worry about saving the Middle East, but thanks for the vote of confidence.
Tim, jake, Don Julio, Hezbollah is of type of fighting organization that has defeated the U.S. in Afghanistan and Vietnam. Mobile, tenacious, and in the possession of over 100,000 rockets that have the capacity to hit Tel Aviv. I sincerely hope it does not come to that, but it may happen. So far, Hezbollah has been reluctant to climb the escalation ladder. Israel is. I firmly believe Israel has had plans for the ethnic cleansing, the whole sale genocide for a long time. There is no way Israel did not know the plans by Hamas for the breakout. Mossad, Shin Bet, U.S. listening posts on Cyprus and in other areas, spy network in Gaza, How could they miss the chatter. For instance, Mossad alleges to have had no idea of the strike, intercepted no chatter, but immediately after 7Oct Mossad suddenly was able intercept chatter. It all was fore planned so the “final solution” could be activated. Our tax dollars are the down payment for the wiping out of a people who had been hostage for 75 years. “America the Beautiful”. Hah!
“ Out-tax dollar”. 🤣
So from where in the US are you from again?
You sure you ate not from Palestine or Syria?
Nah, dont answer that, WE know you are not American.
Stop pretending. Please.
I think i need to start posting the Russian trolls playbook cards here.
That’ll be entertaining.
EDIT. Im joking. Im dont have such thing. It does not exist. 🤷🏽♂️
They are not mobile. They are stuck in their tunnels. Once out of their tunnels, they are in vulnerable. And unlike Vietnam or Afghanistan, they don’t have the thousands of square miles to operate from. And yes, they have 100,000 rounds of rockets, but most are short range. And once fired or destroyed that is that
Genocide claims will only be made if Israel is committing genocidal acts in Lebanon as they are in Gaza. Trying to minimize Israel’s brutality by pretending that anything Israel does is reflexively followed by an accusation of genocide is just one more way of denying the actual ongoing genocide that Israel is presently engaged in on the Palestinians in Gaza. Nice try.
So when civilians get killed in war in Lebanon as it will happen, you will be one of the first to claim “genocide”. The fact is the term “genocide” has been weaken by the terrorists supporters. The losses of civilians in Gaza is within expect norms for operations in a urban area. The civilians are killed in the fighting by both sides. How many civilians have die by malfunctioning Hamas rockets, poor shooting and secondary explosions of Hamas ammo dumps? How many have died because Hamas prevented them from leaving the combat area? And how many have died because Hamas put their forts right under their homes?
A simple question, if Israel intents to commit genocide why did the IDF place over 40,000 phone calls warning civilians of their upcoming attacks?
You’re like a brick. You ignore the staggering number of dead and then accuse others of weakening the term genocide. You place blame everywhere you can except with the people who are executing the genocide as if their decisions aren’t their decisions. And you have the unmitigated gall to call a population that has been decimated with death, famine and total displacement as “norms for operations in a urban area”. And I’m not a Hamas supporter so why do you keep bringing them up? There is no excuse for genocide whether you want to use Hamas as one or not. Israel is responsible for what Israel does and the numbers don’t lie.
“the numbers don’t lie” sure they do. They are unverified and strangely lack any information on deaths of Hamas fighters. Anyway, you don’t seem to understand that Hamas started this war and Hamas is holding kidnapped Israelian citizens. Interesting that you are not a Hamas supporter, if so why don’t you call for them to release the kidnapped victims and surrender to end this war?
I guess I was insulting bricks. Even Israel isn’t using that dismal excuse any longer. Hard to hide the destruction. But if anything the numbers are all low ball numbers. Once the rubble is cleared there might even be enough deaths to make you blush.
I understand very well that Hamas attacked on Oct 7th, I’m also aware of the genocidal attack on the Palestinians in Gaza that started on Oct 8th and is ongoing today. And Israel is threatening to attack the 1.5 million people they’ve herded into Rafah as we speak. You know, the safe zone.
My comments are about an ongoing genocide. If Hamas’ was in the process of conducting an ongoing genocide, my comments would be about them. I don’t like Hamas any more than I like the Israeli government. Terrorism wise, Hamas doesn’t even compete. Israel now has no peers in that department.
“if for no other reason than to prove they can do so.”
Except they can’t. With 100,000 troops and 100-150,000 rockets and missiles, Hezbollah will annihilate them, Israeli air power or no. I don’t know how many air defense missiles Hezbollah has, but I suspect they have them and will use them.
Oh hello Hezby, you are gonna get today again….
In the name of Allah Akhbar
I think that means F U or something.