Iran Explosions in Lebanon: Israel announces new phase of war

Following the explosions of electronic communication devices in Lebanon, which left dozens dead and thousands injured, Israel has signaled tougher action against the Hezbollah militia in the northern neighboring country.

While Israel continues to fight against Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah, in the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Joav Galant has now announced a "new phase" of the war. "The focus is shifting to the north," said Galant according to his office. Israel's army has been fighting battles with Hezbollah there since the start of the Gaza war almost a year ago. There are concerns that a full-blown war against the militia could be imminent.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has announced a speech for this afternoon. In view of the highly dangerous situation, the UN Security Council is planning an emergency meeting. According to diplomatic circles, the most powerful body of the United Nations is to meet on Friday at 9 p.m. CEST.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres sees the "serious risk of a dramatic escalation" in the Middle East. "The logic behind exploding all these devices is, of course, to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation," Guterres said at a press conference in New York.

More than 3,000 injured in Lebanon

While Guterres was speaking, news arrived of a second wave of explosions. According to the authorities, 20 people were killed and more than 450 others injured on Wednesday afternoon. As on the previous day, many members of Hezbollah were again hit, according to Lebanese security sources.

Hundreds of so-called pagers had already exploded simultaneously in several places in Lebanon on Tuesday. Around 2,800 people were injured and at least twelve died.

Rescue services from Iran, which has close ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon, want to fly out around 100 injured people. Most of the victims of the explosion had injuries to their hands and eyes, said the head of the Red Crescent Society, Pirhussein Koliwand.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions and vowed retaliation. The Israeli side itself did not comment on the two waves of explosions. However, such technically sophisticated attacks are in keeping with the style of Israel's secret services, which have repeatedly carried out similarly complex attacks to kill high-ranking enemies. If Israel's leadership ordered the explosions, the question arises as to what they intended. Former Israeli military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the move was likely aimed at forcing Hezbollah to stop its cross-border attacks.

Experts: Israel wants to force Hezbollah to withdraw

"The purpose of such an operation was not to cause an escalation, but to reach an agreement that would allow people to return to their homes," Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the research department of Israeli military intelligence, told the US newspaper. Due to the almost daily military confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border have had to leave their homes.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence, as saying that the attack in Lebanon signaled to Hezbollah that Israel would not limit itself to the exchange of blows along the northern border that has been going on since the beginning of the Gaza war. The Shia militia, which is allied with Iran, must understand that "Israel can change the rules of the game", he said.

Israel wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to ensure that Hezbollah withdraws behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by a UN resolution. The Lebanese militia, which is allied with Hamas, does not want to stop its attacks against Israel until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. Both Islamist organizations belong to Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" - an alliance against the common enemy Israel.

Israel's defense minister: beginning of a new phase of war

"We are at the beginning of a new phase of the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance on our part," said Israeli Defense Minister Galant. During a visit to an airbase, he recalled the government's recently defined war goal: the return of tens of thousands of Israeli refugees to the northern border area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated this promise in a video address. "We are providing forces, resources and energy for the northern area," Galant continued, according to his office.

According to Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the army is prepared to do everything necessary to create the conditions for Israeli residents to return to their homes in the north: "We still have many capabilities that we have not yet deployed." Experts see the attacks on the communication devices of many Hezbollah members as a bitter blow for the Shiite militia, which is also likely to weaken its fighting spirit. Some of its most important means of communication are now disrupted or no longer usable.

The "Wall Street Journal" quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the militia's leadership is not inclined to start an all-out war with Israel. The Hezbollah leadership does not believe that an Israeli ground invasion is imminent - but expects that there will be further attacks with a major impact.

UN General Assembly calls for Israel to withdraw

With a clear majority of 124 votes, the UN General Assembly called for Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories within a year. 43 states - including Germany - abstained from voting on a corresponding resolution in the largest UN body with 193 member states. Israel itself and the United States, together with twelve other countries, voted against the draft resolution, the adoption of which has no binding consequences under international law. Some states did not vote.

The resolution is intended to enforce a legal opinion of the highest UN court on the Middle East conflict. In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague stated in its legal opinion that the occupation of the Palestinian territories was illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel ignored this - the same behavior is also expected in light of the resolution that has now been adopted.

SDA