News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee / 20th September 2024
Israeli airplanes escalated the battle between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah late on Thursday night, carrying out their most intense raids on southern Lebanon in almost a year of fighting, despite calls for moderation.
The United Kingdom demanded an immediate truce between Israel and Hezbollah, while the White House stated that a diplomatic solution was both urgent and attainable. Speaking at a briefing, White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the United States is “afraid and concerned about potential escalation.”
The fierce bombardment came after attacks earlier in the week that Hezbollah and Lebanon blamed on Israel, which destroyed Hezbollah radios and pagers, injuring around 3,000 people in Lebanon and killing 37.
Israel’s military stated that during the late operation on Thursday, its aircraft destroyed hundreds of multiple rocket launcher barrels in southern Lebanon over the course of two hours.
According to ideas that have circulated since the explosions, the Lebanese delegation to the United Nations stated in a letter to the Security Council on Thursday that Israel was responsible for detonating the devices via electronic communications and explosives installed in them before they arrived in Lebanon.
Due to the explosions, the 15-member Security Council is scheduled to convene on Friday. Najib Mikati, the prime minister of Lebanon, petitioned the Security Council to declare Israel’s “aggression” and “technological war” to be over.
Deafening booms of sound from Israeli airplanes shook Beirut as Nasrallah’s broadcast aired. This sound has grown more frequent in recent months but has greater significance now that the possibility of full-scale war has increased. Israel will continue its military campaign against Hezbollah, according to remarks made late on Thursday by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“In the new phase of the war there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue,” Gallant said in a statement.
“Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasing price,” Gallant said.
