
US-led meeting in Beirut. Continuation of the war-crimes by Israel
Featured image: Airstrikes on Lebanon on Sunday evening; Source: Palestine Chronicle
In the midst of the war of aggression against the sovereign state of Lebanon, today a meeting took part in Beirut between Lebanese officials and a special envoy by the United States, Amos Hochstein. In his words, “the US want to end this conflict as soon as possible, and that’s what we’re working on. We are working with the state of Lebanon and Israel to bring a formula to end this conflict once and for all. The commitment that we have is to resolve the conflict based on UN Resolution 1701”. Therefore the US want to “to delink the Lebanon front from the Gaza war”, which concretely means decreasing the influence of Hezbollah inside the Lebanese state and strengthening the capitulationist and country-selling forces. Therefore, they also propose in the resolution a Southern Lebanon free of any soldiers or weapons other than those of the Lebanese State, what would be a prompt to Hezbollah troops, although de facto being part of the state, to ley down their weapons or combat under imperialist command.
As of October 19, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 2,448 Lebanese individuals have been murdered and 11,471 injured since the start of Israeli aggression on Lebanon. The Lebanese Government Emergency Committee announced on October 16 that there are now 1,059 shelters, with 876 at maximum capacity. Approximately 50,000 families have been displaced to approved shelters, with the total number of displaced people exceeding 1.2 million. Additionally, from September 23 to October 14, 326,467 Syrians and 124,225 Lebanese crossed into Syria.
The Israeli army conducted multiple raids on Sunday evening in southern Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, these airstrikes resulted in at least 16 deaths and 59 injuries within 24 hours. Lebanese media reported that financial institutions, specifically Al-Qard Al-Hassan, were targeted in Hermel and Baalbek. In total, around 13 airstrikes were carried out in southern Beirut, affecting neighborhoods such as Mreyjeh, Haret Hreik, Hay al-Sellom, Burj al-Brajneh, and Ghobeiri. Attacking the institutions, the genocidaires didn’t even claim to target “terrorists” hiding there, but justified this murder of civilians with the assertion that these micro-credit organizations would fund it. Additionally three Lebanese State soldiers have been murdered also by the Israeli attacks in south Beirut, which again constitutes a war-crime, being armed forces a sovereign State, attacked without warning or declaration of war by another State.
Meanwhile it was reported that the Israeli army dynamited houses in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab.
This joins the long list of crimes committed by the State of Israel in its aggression on Lebanon. Many of those are war-crimes. During the last week the Israeli forces targeted several times the UNIFIL forces: on Wednesday 16 an Israeli tank fired at peacekeeping post in south Lebanon. Few days later it was reported that an “army bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position”. The UNIFIL reminded that “all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times” and that this attack is considered “a flagrant violation of international law”.
The Lebanese resistance has also responded the aggression. An important house in Israel was targeted by a Hezbollah drone after the murder of Sinwar – the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the town of Caesarea, Haifa. Several rockets sent to northern Israel shortly before are said to have been a distraction for the attack on Saturday morning, when the genocidal leader was not at home.
Since Israel initiated its ground operations, Hezbollah has asserted that it has dealt considerable damage to Israeli forces. The organization claims to have eliminated 55 Israeli soldiers, injured more than 500, and destroyed more than 20 Merkava tanks. Only in the last 24 hours, 23 Israeli soldiers were injured in different operations by the Lebanese resistance. Furthermore, Hezbollah’s military activities have escalated beyond the border, with missiles now striking vital infrastructure and military targets deep in northern Israel, including cities like Kiryat Shmona and Safad. For the moment, Hochstein’s plans are yet in far distance. Today, Hezbollah launched multiple rocket attacks on Israeli targets, including three strikes on Marjayoun, as well as the Kil’aa barracks, Ma’alot-Tarshiha, Kfar Kila crossing, Rb Thalathin–Odaisseh–Marjayoun triangle, Camp 100, Karmiel settlement, and Jabal al-Sheikh.