Third Lebanon War
Eylon Levy @EylonALevy noted "In the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah fired around 4,000 rockets at Israel. Since October 8, 2023, in a conflict that is not yet defined as the Third Lebanon War, Hezbollah has fired 6,500 rockets. Hezbollah has already declared war on Israel."
IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut 30 July 2024 on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians. Iranian Tasnim News Agency said, "The Zionist attack on the Beirut suburb failed and did not lead to the martyrdom of Fouad Shukr." The target was Fuad Shukr, also known as Fu'ad Chakar, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsin Chakar, also known as Fouad Ali Chakar, a senior advisor on military affairs to Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah and in charge of all Hezbollah's military operations. Shukr played a central role in the planning and execution of the October 23, 1983 U.S. Marine Corps Barracks Bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed 241 U.S. service personnel.
Shukr was named by the IDF several years ago as a commander of Hezbollah's precision missile project. The strike was carried out in the Dahiya district, where the headquarters of Hezbollah is located. Christiaan Triebert @trbrtc reported Geolocation of damage seen in this photo, from the suspected Israeli attack in Beirut, Lebanon: 33.853260, 35.506546, next to the Bahman Hospital and the Al Hasanain Mosque. The IDF said they considered their reprisal for the Majdal Shams attack to be finished. So their hope is that Hezbollah won't seriously respond. Israeli Channel 13 reported, according to a senior Israeli official: If Hezbollah does not respond to the attack, we will not be drawn into war.
Al Jazeera's correspondent said that an Israeli drone strike targeted the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs of Beirut , leaving 6 people injured, one of them critically, and causing extensive material damage to buildings and cars. The correspondent added that several missiles fell on the targeted building, stressing that the Lebanese security forces imposed a security cordon around the site of the Israeli raid. According to the Lebanese News Agency, the Israeli raid targeted the Al-Rabi’ building in the vicinity of Hezbollah’s Shura Council in the southern suburb with 3 missiles, which led to its collapse.
The body of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr was recovered from the rubble of a building in southern Beirut that was targeted in an Israeli strike. The recovery came almost 24 hours after Israel confirmed that it had targeted Shukr in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital.
Channel 13 reported that Israeli officials expected a large number of missiles to be launched from Lebanese territory, following the raid that targeted the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut. Media outlets also reported that the Israeli city of Haifa is witnessing a state of great panic and fear of a possible strike launched by the Lebanese Hezbollah in response to the bombing of the southern suburb. Maariv newspaper reported, quoting Israeli officials, that "the ball is now in Hezbollah's court and they are not interested in another security escalation, but they (the Israelis) are prepared for any developments."
Netanyahu received approval from the United States for an operation against Hezbollah, according to a report 27 July 2024 by Israeli Channel 14. The White House warned the Israeli defense minister that a strike on Beirut would get the situation out of control. According to some Israeli media, at least two options were considered: either a series of intensive strikes on Hezbollah positions, or a ground operation accompanied by an invasion of the Israel Defense Forces into southern Lebanon. Netanyahu's office said the response would be "limited but painful". Some observers speculated that Israeli authorities will limit themselves to massive strikes on Lebanon. It wouldn't really be expensive compared to a ground operation, and it would also allow for some face saving to ordinary citizens who demand retaliation.
The deputy speaker of the Lebanese parliament said: "If there are civilian casualties or if Beirut and its suburbs are targeted, we will not consider it an appropriate and limited response." Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the immediate aftermath of a rocket strike from Lebanon that killed 12 people at a football field in the Golan Heights. The strikes aimed at what the Israeli military said were Hezbollah weapons caches and infrastructure. But the strikes seemed to fall short of an overwhelming response threatened after the Hizballah attack that killed Israeli teenagers and young children.
The Israeli security cabinet met on Sunday 28 July 2024 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Israel having cut his U.S. visit by a few hours. After the meeting of Israel’s security cabinet ended, Netanyahu’s office said the cabinet “authorised the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister to decide on the manner and timing of the response”. From now on, plans regarding the "Lebanon issue" will not have to be submitted to the cabinet for discussion, and all decisions will be made directly by Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Netanyahu was criticized for initially refusing to leave the USA ahead of the scheduled time, a claim he denied. The Israeli military described the incident as "the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians" since the Hamas attack on October 7 that sparked the war in Gaza and sparked an ongoing exchange of shelling across the Lebanese border. twelve people, including children aged between 10 and 20, were killed and more than 40 others were wounded in a missile attack on the Golan Heightsy, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of being responsible for the strike.
The rocket fell on the town of Majdal Shams, a Druze-majority town, and was part of a barrage of about 40 rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel, the Israeli military said. The Israeli military said an "Iranian-made" missile was used in the attack on a football stadium in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. He added, "The forensic findings at the site indicate that this missile (Falaq-1) is used only by the terrorist group Hezbollah, which carried out this attack."
"Our review of various aspects and available evidence strongly indicates to us at @FakeReporter with almost certainty that the explosion in the soccer field of Majdal Shams, resulting in the deaths of 12 children, was caused by a Faraq-1 rocket fired by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, and not a Tamir interceptor by the Iron Dome." "Hezbollah will not escape punishment for this incident, and will pay a heavy price for its actions," he added. Netanyahu vowed that "Israel will not let this murderous attack go unanswered and Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for it, a price it has not paid before," according to a statement from his office. “Israel will not remain silent about the horrific attack,” he added. “I was shocked when I saw the horrific images that followed the deadly Hezbollah attack on Majdal Shams. Among these images were dead people, young children playing soccer, and other dead people. Our hearts are broken by these scenes. We embrace the families, we embrace the entire Druze community in their difficult moments, which are also our difficult moments.”
Defense Minister Yoav Galant met with the chiefs of staff and the Mossad. He vowed to strike the party "wherever we need to strike it." Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz told Channel 12 that the party "crossed all red lines," while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, via the Hebrew website Walla, asked Netanyahu to "wage war on Hezbollah immediately." Gallant said an Israeli response would be forceful. "Hezbollah will be made to pay for the massacre of children," Gallant said on a visit to Majdal Shams ahead of funeral services for 11 of the children who were murdered in the attack.
Israeli army's chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, announced that the army had raised its readiness to the "next stage" of fighting in the north of the country, pledging to strike the Lebanese Hezbollah group "harshly." Halevi said during an inspection tour in Majdal Shams "We have raised our readiness for the next stage of fighting in the north. We will strike Hezbollah hard and push it back, and we will achieve security and return the residents of the north to their homes".
Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, commented while calling for war. "Since October 8, I have said that we are in a state of war in the north and that the enemy must be defeated. The forums of the decision-makers avoided for 10 months from acknowledging that we are in a campaign against Hezbollah. Today, no one, in any forum, including the Minister of Defense who strives only for containment against Hezbollah, can avoid From the bloody reality - we are at war. I call on the Prime Minister to immediately convene the cabinet, also by encrypted phone, to make the decision that I have been demanding for a long time - war in the north, now."
"For the death of small children, Nasrallah should pay with his head," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also responded. "Lebanon as a whole must pay the price. My position regarding the necessary steps is known. The prime minister must return immediately. The time for action has come." The chairman of the Israel Beitenu party, Avigdor Lieberman, also commented on the disaster. "The person responsible for the murder of many children and boys in Majdal Shams is Nasrallah, and it is time for him to pay the price,"
Economy Minister Nir Barkat: Israel needs to completely change the equation in the north. The state of Lebanon and Hezbollah must pay a heavy price for the heavy disaster in Majdal Shams and for the terrorism they operate on the northern front. The cabinet must change its approach and move from containment to attack. The blood of the northerners is not wasted. I share in the grief of the families in Majdal Shams. This is another war crime that joins a series of war crimes since October 7."
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel also commented on Israel's response to the incident. "The response to the criminal and murderous shooting at Majdal Shams must not be less than the response to the shooting at Tel Aviv, in a country with a single sovereign law To Majdal Shams and Tel Aviv".
Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar (Likud) called for a campaign against Hezbollah. "Children who just wanted to play football, boys who just wanted to take advantage of the Shabbat holiday and enjoy sports near home, were brutally murdered by the damned enemy. I repeat: we must stop procrastinating and deal a fatal blow to Hezbollah. The more we postpone the campaign, the more painful the price we will pay. The red line has long been crossed, time for action."
State President Herzog also commented on the heavy disaster, while criticizing the world's attitude towards Israel and the terrorist attacks it suffers. "Hezbollah, which is armed and financed by Iran, does not distinguish between a child and an adult, between a Jew and a Muslim or a Druze or a Christian. Hezbollah terrorists brutally attacked and murdered children today whose only sin was going out to play football. And don't return."
Hezbollah was on high alert in expectation for an Israeli retaliation after the deadly attack on Majdal Shams, killing 12 children, The terrorist organization evacuated central facilities in eastern Lebanon and the south in preparation for the possibility of "Israeli escalation". The Israeli occupation entity will come to an end if it opts for a large-scale war against Lebanon, underlined Mohammad Raad, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc in the Lebanese parliament.
Arab souerces claim an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile struck a playground in the town. Hezbollah denied that it targeted Majdal Shams, a Druze town where many residents have rejected Israeli nationality since the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights in 1967. In a statement, the Lebanese Resistance group said it "categorically denies the allegations reported by certain enemy media and various media platforms concerning the targeting of Majdal Shams." It affirmed "The Islamic Resistance has no connection to this incident". Axios cited an American official as saying Hezbollah officials told the UN that the Golan Heights incident was the result of an Israeli interceptor missile hitting the playground in Majdal Shams.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that the Israeli occupation entity committed a "heinous crime" in Majdal Shams and then blamed the Lebanese Resistance "as part of attempts to escalate the situation in the region." The statement said Damascus condemns the ongoing massacres committed daily by the Israeli occupation and holds it responsible for the dangerous escalation of the situation throughout the region.
Iran strongly warned against any "new Zionist adventure" against Lebanon, using the recent incident in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as a pretext. The spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, underlined that any "reckless attack" by the Israeli occupation could expand the scope of the war and destabilize the security of the region. He stressed that Israel is primarily responsible for the unexpected repercussions of such "foolish behavior".
Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said that Hezbollah is ready to withdraw beyond the Litani if Israel stops its violations. The caretaker Foreign Minister explained that the damage would affect Israel and the region if war broke out, and it is not in the interest of Tel Aviv and Lebanon for a large-scale war to break out between the two parties,
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he did not want to see an escalation of conflict on Israel's northern border. "I emphasize (Israel's) right to defend its citizens and our determination to make sure that they're able to do that," Blinken said during a news conference in Tokyo. "But we also don't want to see the conflict escalate. We don't want to see it spread." The American website " Axios " quoted American officials as saying that the administration of President Joe Biden is "deeply concerned" that the attack could lead to a "comprehensive war" between Israel and Hezbollah. "What happened today may be the trigger we've been worried about and trying to avoid for 10 months," a US official told the site.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel's Channel 12 news: "We are facing an all-out war against Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran, "Qassem Soleimani managed to create a belt of fire around us and build several fronts against Israel. We have all the capabilities. But yes, I emphasize and say that there will be prices at the front, and there will also be prices at the rear.... Nasrallah and Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely damaged, we will restore peace and the residents to the north."
OSINTdefender reported that Hezbollah had reportedly told both U.S. President Joe Biden’s Advisor on Lebanon and Israel, Amos Hochstein as well as Senior Officers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that any kind of Major Israeli Retaliatory Operation, will result in a Massive Response. on 'Meet the Press', Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Israel is approaching an all-out war against Hezbollah: " We will respond in a disproportionate way, and we will not go into detail".-
Israeli Minister of Security Itamar Ben-Gvir on the bombing in Majdal Shams: “Since October 8th I have been saying that we are at war in the north and the enemy must be defeated, and groups of decision makers have for 10 months avoided acknowledging that we are fighting Hezbollah. Today, no one, no one, including the Secretary of Defense, who sought only to contain Hezbollah, can escape the bloody reality that we are at war. I call on the Prime Minister to immediately convene the Cabinet of Ministers, also via an encrypted communication channel, to make a decision that I have been demanding for a long time - war in the north now!”
The Institute for "National Security Studies", with close links to the security establishment, had reported the risk is very significant. A report from the think tank issued on 07 July 2024 was titled "How Would a Full-Scale War with Hezbollah Affect the Resilience of Israel’s Civilian Front?" It turns out to be very depressing for supporters of Zionism. In summary, it anticipates “severe damages expected in such a war to Israel’s civilian home front and its functional continuity, and consequently to the resilience of Israeli society and its ability to recover from the war.“
The airspace over Lebanon was empty. Beirut International Airport stopped receiving and sending planes in anticipation of Israeli strikes. GPS and Internet reception failures were reported in Lebanon. Phone calls had been interrupted. Israel appeared to have activated its electronic warfare systems.
An Israeli air strike hit a school housing a field hospital in central Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 30 people and wounding more than 100, said the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. The Israeli military said its strike targeted Hamas "terrorists" operating from the school.
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