Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are on the verge of a major two-front war as tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah reach the boiling point.
Two-Front War
Yesterday, France 24 reported Israel Army Says Readying ‘Decisive Offensive’ Against Lebanon’s Hezbollah
An Israeli commanding officer said that troops in the north of Israel were preparing for an offensive against Lebanon’s Hezbollah after months of escalating violence which killed at least 523 people in Lebanon.
If the IDF was already on the verge of a major operation in Lebanon, today’s news will seal the deal.
Hezbollah Attack
The Times of Israel reports At Least 6 Killed, Over 30 Wounded in Hezbollah Attack
Revisions say at least 10.
The IDF assesses that the rocket that struck the soccer field where kids were playing was relatively heavy.
The military is investigating why it failed to intercept the projectile.
Top IDF brass are currently holding assessments on the attack, the deadliest by Hezbollah amid the ongoing skirmishes on the northern border, and will determine a response against the terror group.
Iron Dome Failure But Which Way?
Here’s the claim “The [iron dome] interceptor was fired to stop Hezbollah’s rockets at northern occupied Golan it failed and landed in the soccer field.”
I have no idea if that is propaganda or not.
Regardless, one way or another, there is an Iron Dome failure.
Invade Now, Facts Later
Flatten Lebanon
How Many Dead?
Haaretz reports 10 Killed, Including Children, in Strike on Northern Israel’s Majdal Shams; IDF: Hezbollah Fired Rocket From Lebanon
The above site is a live blog and difficult to follow. It includes events in Gaza and Lebanon, interspersed.
That makes it confusing as to what’s happening when and where.
Where’s the US Reporting?
I had not see any US reporting on these stories. While tying this story, however, I found a source.
ABC News reports Rocket attack on town in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights kills at least 10, rescue official says.
A rocket attack Saturday on a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed at least 10 people and wounded several others, including children, hours after an Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon killed three members of the militant Hezbollah group.
The strike, the deadliest attack on an Israeli target since the fighting between the two foes erupted in October, raised fears of of a broader conflagration in the region.
Hezbollah said it struck a military base in the Golan Heights in retaliation for Israeli attacks on a village in Lebanon.
Over the past weeks, the exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel intensified with Israeli airstrikes and rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah striking deeper and further away from the border.
Since early October, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 450 people, mostly Hezbollah members, but also around 90 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 21 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed.
An Official Denial
Hezbollah chief spokesman Mohammed Afif told The Associated Press that the group “categorically denies carrying out an attack on Majdal Shams.”
The Israeli military said in a statement Saturday that according to intelligence in its possession, “the rocket launch toward Majdal Shams was carried out by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Israel Kills 4 Hezbollah fighters
NDTV-World reports 4 Hezbollah Fighters Killed In Israeli Strike As Tensions Flare-Up
“Four Hezbollah fighters were killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Kfar Kila,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity
Retaliation Causes Retaliation
I am unable to asses any of these claims. Both sides have reason to blame the other.
What I do know is violence begets violence. Also, for whatever reason, US coverage of Lebanon-Israeli events is scant.
Reader Comment (Added Here)
A previous report indicated a traveler in the northern part of Israel followed his GPS, and arrived at the wrong destination. There is a lot of GPS jamming going on in war zones. When a missile loses position feedback, it can very easily land in a civilian area. Accelerometers (an older technology) can handle the jamming, but they do not have pinpoint precision. Expect more civilian casualties.
The Obstacle to Peace
On June 12, I commented The Obstacle to Peace in Gaza: Both Sides Need a Huge Attitude Change
Biden is pressing for a peace deal based on lies. But it’s hard to accept lies when they are admitted lies in advance.
Who Are the Obstacles to Peace?
- Netanyahu
- Biden
- Hamas Leadership
- Hezbollah leadership
Conditions for Peace
Peace prospects will not go anywhere until the radicals are out of power or the radicals have a huge attitude change.
That means radicals on both sides. But no one is willing to take any semblance of a first step.
As it stands, both sides demand the destruction of the other as a condition for peace. How’s that supposed to work?