– This attack will not go unanswered.
That was the clear message from Hezbollah after the drone attack on Beirut yesterday.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah suspect Israel of being behind it.
Hamas leader Saleh Al Arouri was killed along with several of his bodyguards. Al Arouri was an important political leader in Hamas, and was one of the founders of the Qassam Brigades, which was behind the attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
It was Saleh Al Aruri, Hamas’ deputy leader, who was killed in the attack in Beirut yesterday. The photo has been sent out by Hamas’s press office and is supposed to show Al Aruri in his office.
Photo: – / AFP
No one is safe
– With this attack, Israel is telling the whole world that they will go after anyone they believe threatens their security.
That’s what Middle East expert Makram Rabah at the renowned American University of Beirut says.
– The murder of Al Arouri is part of the revenge for the attack on Israel on 7 October, Rabah believes.
Arch rivals
This is the first time Israel has bombed targets in Beirut since the war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006. At least 1,100 Lebanese and 165 Israelis were killed then.
The drone attack on the Hamas leader has sparked fears of a new war. But the war in the Gaza Strip is between Hamas and Israel. What is Hezbollah’s role, we ask the expert.
– The alliance between Hezbollah and Hamas is stronger than many people think. They share the same ideology and are sworn enemies of Israel. And, they both receive political, economic and military support from Israel’s arch-rival, Iran.
Middle East expert Makram Rabah at the American University of Beirut believes that Hezbollah still does not want another major conflict with Israel.
When the war between Hamas and Israel started almost three months ago, Hezbollah was one of the few groups in the Middle East to declare full support and sympathy for Hamas.
– Our history, our weapons and our rockets are with you, said one Hezbollah leader in Beirut after the war broke out.
In solidarity with the Palestinians, Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles at Israeli towns and villages near the Lebanese border.
Since then, there have been almost daily clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. But the fighting has been limited to the relatively unpopulated border areas between Lebanon and Israel.
Fear of escalation
Then Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah publicly commented on the attack against Israel in a speech on November 3, he made it clear that it was the work of Hamas.
He also said that it was an expression of a Palestinian-Israeli conflict and no regional conflict.
The drone attack against the Hamas leader in the Lebanese capital may change this.
– The Israeli attack is a clear escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Unfortunately, this could lead to more bloodshed, Rabah fears.
The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen recently said during a visit to the evacuated towns and villages along the border with Lebanon:
– The Hezbollah leader must realize that he is the next man out.
Now many in Lebanon and the Middle East are waiting to see what Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will do.
The answer may come this afternoon. Then Nasrallah will give another speech.
How the Hezbollah leader responds to the Israeli drone attack could be decisive for whether Lebanon and Israel end up at war again.
In Beirut, clean-up is underway around the building which, according to the Lebanese media, housed Hamas’s office and which yesterday was subjected to a drone attack.
Photo: ANWAR AMRO / AFP
Can bomb Israeli cities
Hezbollah is very powerful militarily. It is believed that the movement has as many as 100,000 well-trained fighters.
They also have hundreds of advanced and accurate missiles that can reach Israeli cities such as Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Despite the steep fronts, Middle East expert Rabah does not think Hezbollah wants another war with Israel.
– I don’t think Hezbollah is interested in full-scale war now. Especially since it doesn’t suit Iran’s interests right now. Hezbollah does what Iran says.
Rabah is more uncertain about what Israel can come up with.
– Israel is sending a clear signal to the US, which is trying to limit the war to the Gaza Strip. The Americans do not want to be dragged into a new major conflict in the Middle East.
– With the drone attack on Beirut, the Israelis are showing that they don’t care about the Americans’ concerns, and are doing what they think is right to protect themselves.
2024-01-03 15:15:04
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