Twelve teenagers were killed during a soccer match on Sunday night. Hezbollah has “crossed all the red lines” with its attack – now there is a threat of a new war in the Middle East.
The small Druze town of Majdal Shams, beneath Mount Hermon in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, currently resembles the eye of a hurricane that could drag the entire region into the abyss. Since the rocket attack by the Shiite Lebanese terrorist militia Hezbollah on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, killing twelve boys between the ages of ten and twenty, the risk of a major war breaking out on the Israeli-Lebanese border has become greater than it has been for many in years.
Fear of wildfires
There is fear of a conflagration, a war in which, in addition to Lebanon, Israel and its closest ally the US, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, even Cyprus and thus the EU could be involved. A war that would have devastating consequences for Lebanon, which is already destroyed, but which could also lead to large numbers of victims and great destruction in Israel. Hezbollah, which is massively supported by Iran, cannot be compared to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah has developed into a state within a state; its leader Hassan Nassrallah enjoys, at least among Shiites, a divine reputation. He commands tens of thousands of armed men who are extremely battle-hardened, not least by the war in Syria, where they are on the side of dictator Assad – and who are ready at any moment to suffer martyrdom for God and Nassrallah. Thousands upon thousands of them are venerated as saints in Hezbollah cemeteries in Lebanon.
The mothers of the fallen do not mourn their deaths; they are proud of the sacrifice of their sons, with which they have brought fame and honor to the entire family. Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah also has long-range rockets with which the militia can reach any target in Israel. Even rockets with a very high explosive capacity.
Terrorist with a large arsenal
The terrorist fighters’ arsenal is estimated at 150,000 rockets and more. Since October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas terrorist massacre in Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 230 kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah has been shelling northern Israel with rockets on a daily basis – an act of solidarity by the Shiite militia, which has nothing in common with the Sunni Hamas, except their common enemy, Israel.
Nasrallah entered the conflict with caution. The Israeli army’s counterattacks were accordingly cautious. But from the first shot it was clear that the situation on the northern front could escalate into open war at any moment, for example through a misplaced rocket like the one that probably hit the football field in Majdal Shams. Misled because Majdal Shams is a Druze village. But Druze do not only live in Israel; some 400,000 members of this non-Muslim religious group are also based in Lebanon.
The rocket probably had another purpose
Fearing revenge, Hezbollah denies responsibility for the attack. However, Israeli and American experts do not doubt Hezbollah’s guilt: the Iranian Falak-1 rocket with 53 kilograms of explosives used is used only by Hezbollah. Since these rockets are not very accurate, it is assumed that the projectile was actually intended to hit an Israeli military camp on Mount Hermon. The Israeli counterattacks were not long in coming, but for the time being remained “within limits”, if that expression can be used in this context. At that time, Prime Minister Netanyahu was still on his return flight from the US.
Can’t you avoid a military offensive?
He had already convened the security cabinet in Jerusalem on Sunday evening and made it clear: “Hezbollah will pay a high price for its attack. A price that the country has not yet paid.” In fact, the situation in northern Israel has been unbearable since October 8. All cities are virtually deserted, tens of thousands of people have moved from Lebanon because of the ongoing attacks, have been living for months in hotels that the state has to finance, cannot do their work and live with their children in often precarious conditions.
Only a few heavily armed men remained as guards in the towns and kibbutzim. And with every passing day, with every rocket that hits northern Israel, the view of many Israelis that there is no way around a military offensive against Lebanon becomes stronger. Whatever the cost. And Israeli politicians have already threatened to raze Beirut to rubble and even bomb Lebanon back to the Stone Age.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
