Why is Israel attacking Lebanon? | Conflict News

Over the past 24 hours, Israel has launched a series of air strikes on Lebanon.

Hundreds of Lebanese are dead, many injured and thousands displaced as they desperately try to find safe areas to rejoin their families.

The Israeli army described this as part of its “new phase” in the war against Gaza and said it had attacked more than 1,000 targets in Lebanon, allegedly Hezbollah strongholds or military installations placed in people's homes.

What happened and when?

Israel just killed at least 558 Lebanese.

Among the dead were 50 children and 94 women, while about 2,000 people were injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

More than 10,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the most brutal attack Lebanon has seen since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The first Israeli attacks on Lebanon were reported at 6:30 a.m. on Monday; they hit an uninhabited area near Byblos, north of Beirut.

More than 1,300 attacks on alleged Hezbollah military targets followed. The attacks continue.

Where in Lebanon is Israel attacking?

A satellite map of the attacks created by Al Jazeera shows attacks across Lebanon, with the highest concentration in the south and the Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah's influence is considered strongest.

Before the attacks, the Israeli army is said to have made around 80,000 phone calls to the Lebanese population – mainly in the south – urging them to leave their homes and seek “safety”.

The result was panic, chaos and traffic jams. The main coastal road to the capital Beirut was closed for several kilometers because residents were trying to flee an impending attack.

Why is Israel attacking Lebanon?

Israel says it is attacking Hezbollah so it can return its displaced citizens to the north.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the transfer of “forces, resources and energy” to the north and to Hezbollah as the war enters a “new phase,” apparently suggesting that the war in Gaza is coming to an end.

According to Gallant, it was an attempt to bring back the 65,000 Israelis whose evacuation he had ordered in the early days of the conflict, when Hezbollah attacks on their homes near the Lebanese border were expected.

This major Hezbollah attack never materialized, but Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a steady exchange of fire on Lebanon's southern border since October 2023.

Hezbollah has announced that it will continue its attacks until Israel reaches a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, its ally in the Gaza Strip.

In a press conference on Monday evening, an Israeli military spokesman did not rule out a ground invasion of Lebanon, saying: “We will do whatever is necessary to bring all our citizens safely home to the northern border.”

It seems so.

On September 17, the day before Gallant’s announcement of the “new phase,” hundreds of pagers were detonated by Hezbollah members in an attack widely believed to be Israel’s.

Israel did not comment.

The following day, another attack hit Hezbollah's walkie-talkies. The two attacks killed 37 people, including two children, and injured or maimed thousands more.

The attacks disrupted the group's communications and undermined its morale, analysts said.

The exchange of blows between Israel and Hezbollah has since escalated. A devastating Israeli attack in southern Beirut on Saturday left 45 people dead. People and many more injured.

How dangerous is this?

Very.

The alliances between Israel and Hezbollah could also draw other countries into the conflict.

Israel's ally, the United States, announced it would send additional troops to the area, but did not say how many or for what purpose. The United States currently has about 40,000 troops stationed in the region.

Hezbollah and Iran have been cooperating since Hezbollah was founded in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

Israel has fought its battles with groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of a broader struggle against Iran.

Although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, it is estimated to have an arsenal of 90 nuclear warheads.

Although Iran does not yet have a nuclear weapon, it is considered close to doing so after former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from an agreement limiting the country's nuclear program in 2018.

Nevertheless, Iran has one of the largest and most powerful armies in the region and maintains a network of alliances with groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

What conditions would have to be met for other states to also get involved?

Both the United States and Iran have repeatedly shown that they are aware of the risks that escalation could entail.

Despite Israeli provocations – such as the airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria in April 2024 and the killing of Hamas politician Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July – Iran’s reaction to Israel has so far been muted.

The retaliatory strikes for the April airstrike were announced well in advance and largely intercepted. There was no response to Haniyeh's assassination.

Despite its unwavering support for Israel, the United States has shown that it is aware of the risks of escalation.

US diplomats continue to support indirect talks between Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire. Biden even announced a ceasefire agreement in May, which he attributed to Israel at the time.

However, this request was later rejected.

What does Israel want?

For many in Israel, after decades of tension, war with Hezbollah is inevitable.

As the war in Gaza continues and the death toll there rises to over 41,455, many accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging and escalating the conflict for his political goals.

Groups representing the families of those captured by Hamas on October 7 accused the prime minister of obstructing ceasefire talks – concerns even shared by Biden in June.

“The world’s most expensive cowardly game is currently taking place across the region,” said Tel Aviv-based political analyst Ori Goldberg before the latest attack.

“It is always presented as some kind of inevitability for which the Israeli leadership cannot be held responsible. They are creating their own self-fulfilling prophecy.”