Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to dismantle “the bloody monsters” of Hamas during the first meeting of the emergency national government this Sunday. But as the expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip fails to progress and Palestinians continue to flee south, concern is focused on the northern border with Lebanon, where gun battles between Israeli forces and militia members have increased. There are fears that the escalation of the conflict will eventually drag Iran (which finances both groups) into war.
‘We have no interest in a war in the north, we do not want the situation to escalate’Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video released by his office during a visit to Israeli forces in the south. “If Hezbollah chooses the path of war, it will pay a high price… But if it restrains itself, we will respect the situation and leave things as they are, despite there being fire from both sides.”, he added. There are fears that the invasion of Gaza could lead to even greater involvement of Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Shiite group, which like Hamas has the backing of Iran, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attacks that killed at least one civilian in Israel. Hezbollah even used anti-tank missiles against military targets, while Hamas continued to launch them rockets from Lebanon. Since the surprise attack by the Palestinian terrorist group that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel on October 7, more than ten people have been killed in southern Lebanon (including a Reuters journalist) and two in Israel in these gun battles.
This Sunday, the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) was hit by a rocket shipand it is not yet clear where it comes from. “Our headquarters in Naqoura was hit by one rocket ship and we are trying to verify where it comes from. Our Blue Helmets were not in the shelters at that time. Fortunately, no one was injured,” UNIFIL said in a statement on social media.
The risk of an escalation of the conflict, in which Hezbollah exists alongside Hamas, is that Iran could decide to ‘become directly involved’. Tehran has said it will not attack if its interests are not attacked. “The resistance front can defend itself,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations told Reuters, where the Security Council is trying to reach a common position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
However, Tehran warns against this “No one can” guarantee control over the situation if Israel invades Gaza – both the Arab League and the African Union warned of the risk of “genocide” in this scenario. “Those interested in preventing the spread of war and crisis must stop the current barbaric attacks against civilians and civilians in Gaza.said the head of Iranian diplomacy, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, after meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“We cannot rule out that Iran may choose to become directly involved in some way. We must prepare for all possible unforeseen circumstances”White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS. “This is a risk that we have been aware of from the beginning,” he added, recalling that this was why the US decided to quickly deploy an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean (and has already decided to send a second aircraft carrier to steer).
No way out and waiting for help
In the Gaza Strip, Israel is giving new deadlines to Palestinians to flee to the south of the territory, continuing airstrikes but still short of the expected land invasion. This was planned for last weekend, but according to the newspaper’s sources New York Timeshad to be postponed due to bad weather. This would make it difficult for Israeli pilots and drone operators to cover the army on the ground, which will target the Hamas leadership and release the approximately 150 hostages.
Netanyahu met this Sunday for the first time with representatives of the families of the Israelis taken by Hamas, assuring them that their release is also one of the objectives of the military operation. “The families ask that all necessary action be taken against the leaders of Hamas and the leaders of Arab countries who could influence them to secure their immediate release.”, said family spokesman Dodi Zalmanovich, quoted by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “They assured us that one of the goals of the war is to bring them home,” he said.
In Gaza, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned of a situation of “unprecedented human catastrophe”, saying that “not a drop of water, not a grain of wheat, not a liter of fuel has been allowed in” since the Hamas attack on Israel. According to UN estimates, at least one million Palestinians have already left their homes, many of whom are seeking safety in the southern Gaza Strip after successive Israeli ultimatums.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has multiplied his diplomatic contacts in the region in recent days and returns to Israel this Monday, was confident that it would be possible to negotiate the access of humanitarian aid through the border at Rafah. This is the only one connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt and has been closed since the Hamas attack on Israel. At least five aid planes are already in Egypt and the supplies are awaiting permission to fly to Gaza. Israel also indicated that it has restored water supplies south of Palestinian territory, after initially cutting off water supplies and imposing an all-out siege.
At the Rafah border, but on the Palestinian side, citizens with foreign passports desperately want to leave. The US and other Western countries, including Portugal, have ordered their citizens to head south to this border post and are negotiating with Egypt and Israel over the departure of their nationals. But the Egyptians keep the border closed, preventing both Palestinians and foreigners from leaving. Cairo reportedly tells them not to leave until international aid arrives.
Source: DN
