Whole world have their eyes on Israel and Hezbollah Conflict. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, is really worried after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah traded their biggest strikes since the Gaza war started. On Sunday, Israeli jets bombed lots of spots in southern Lebanon, saying they were trying to stop a bigger attack. In response, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel.
Mr. Guterres warned that these actions are putting civilians in danger and could mess up regional security and stability.
America is trying to stop things from deteriorating, and both sides say that they don’t want an escalation of their situation. Since the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas on the border of Gaza in October of this year, the border between Israel and Lebanon has seen nearly daily clashes. Hezbollah insisted that they were simply standing by the resistance groups in Hamas. Hezbola and Hamas, these two organizations are backed by Iran and regarded as terrorist organizations, not only by Israel but also by many other countries including the US and Britain.
Since October, over 560 people have been reported dead by Lebanon’s health ministry, mostly Hezbollah fighters. In Israel, 26 civilians and 24 soldiers have been killed, according to reports. Around 200,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the border.
The Israeli strikes on Hezbollah started early Sunday when about 100 jets bombed over 40 sites in southern Lebanon, targeting rocket launchers. The strikes happened after Israel detected Hezbollah preparing for a large-scale attack.
Hezbollah said two of their fighters were killed in the strikes, along with another fighter from the Amal movement. In response, Hezbollah said they hit 11 military sites in Israel and the Golan Heights with 340 rockets and many drones. They said this was payback for the killing of their senior commander, Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut on July 30.
The Israeli military said they stopped many of Hezbollah’s attacks, and the ones that landed didn’t do much damage. However, a navy soldier was killed in northern Israel, reportedly while on a patrol boat.
On Sunday evening, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech saying that their first response to Shukr’s assassination was done, but they might respond again if needed. He also told the people of Lebanon to stay calm and go about their lives.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the situation isn’t over yet. He mentioned that Israel is hitting Hezbollah hard and reminded Hezbollah’s leaders that this is just the beginning of changing the situation in the north and making things safe again for Israelis.
The UN Secretary-General has called for both sides to stop fighting immediately. The White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the US is working hard to prevent a full-blown regional war and is involved in intense diplomatic efforts to bring peace.
Diplomats say both sides have exchanged messages saying they don’t want to escalate things further. Meanwhile, US officials have been working in Cairo to try to broker a new ceasefire and a deal for hostage releases in Gaza, which they think could help calm the Israel-Lebanon border situation. But so far, there’s been no agreement. Hamas said they left Cairo to think about the talks, which they didn’t attend.
Egyptian sources said neither Hamas nor Israel has agreed to the compromises suggested by US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators.
Read More: Israel Hezbollah Conflict Escalation: Key Events and Consequences
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