More missile and rocket exchanges between Israel and Lebanon. Shortly after 1:00 pm local time, the Israeli army (IDF) announced that it had attacked more than 100 targets in Lebanon with its air force. Among them, launch complexes and “terrorist infrastructures”. In particular those concentrated along the course of the Litani River, the longest in Lebanon, near the southern city of Khardali. For the moment, no further information is available on the damage and possible casualties of the massive Israeli attack. However, the front of the armed conflict has moved north in recent days. Especially after the double attack – using pagers and walkie-talkies – that struck Hezbollah in the heart. And with the assassination yesterday of one of the Lebanese group’s top commanders, during a raid on Beirut that left a total of 37 dead.
Hezbollah's response
A few minutes later, the Israeli army itself reported on the response of the Shiite paramilitary organization. From southern Lebanon, reports the Israel TimesA barrage of about 25 rockets was reportedly launched toward northern Israel. Some of them hit their target: according to police, some buildings were damaged, causing fires. So far, no injuries have been reported. The Israeli army, expecting a quick response from Hezbollah, had ordered all residents of the northern Israeli city of Safed, as well as other communities in northern Israel, to stay close to bomb shelters. Firefighters are reportedly operating in three areas, near the Ein Zeitim forest and Beit Hillel. Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for launching a “salvo of Katyusha rockets” against two Israeli barracks.
Raid on Gaza
In the meantime, the IDF has not abandoned its operations in the Gaza Strip. On the morning of Saturday, September 21, an airstrike hit the former al-Zeitoun school in Gaza City. The Hamas government denounced a “terrible massacre”: at least 22 people were killed – including 13 children – and 30 injured. Tel Aviv claims that the building was no longer used as an educational institution, but housed a center for Hamas militants. From this position, Hamas has repeatedly attacked Israeli territory.
Iran's threats
The risk of escalation remains as acute as ever. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke this morning about this new threat. “If Islamic nations use their internal power, the Zionist regime will lose its place in the heart of the Islamic community. Unity among Muslims will create a power that can not only eliminate the Zionist regime, but also put an end to the influence and interference of the United States in the region.” Khamenei therefore called on Muslim states to sever all economic ties with Israel. “If the two billion Muslims in the world unite, they will be more powerful than any power in the world today,” he added, quoted by IRNA. And speaking to reporters in New York, where the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly is about to open, Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed: “You will not achieve your goal of escalating tensions and spreading the war throughout the country and the world, but you will receive a firm response for your crimes.” Iran said the IDF's latest military actions demonstrate that Israel is “desperate, stuck in a dangerous impasse, trying to drag the entire region into the swamp with it.”
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