Escalation in Beirut: Israeli air strikes shake celebrations

Escalation in Beirut: Israeli air strikes shake celebrations

The situation in Beirut is tense after Israel carried out air strikes on the Lebanese capital on Thursday evening. These attacks are considered the most violent for months and disturb the celebrations to the upcoming Islamic sacrificial festival. The Israeli armed forces aimed at areas controlled by Hizbullah, especially on military facilities for drone production in Dahiye, a southern suburb of Beiruts. Thousands of residents tried to leave the endangered quarters, which led to chaotic traffic situations. According to FAZ was issued for several locations.

These air strikes are part of an extensive wave that affected over 300 Hizbullah destinations in Lebanon. Israeli military spokesman reported that more than 80 air strikes took place within half an hour in no time. On Friday, the Hizbullah attacked attacks in the north of Israel in response to the bombed goals in Lebanon. In this context, the pressure on the new Lebanese government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, which Hizbullah wants to disarm, is also facing the challenges that arise from Israel's offensive. Salam confirmed that his government was determined to disarm the Hizbullah, but remains unclear how this can be carried out in view of the Israeli military presence.

The context of the attacks

The attacks are widely considered to be punished by Hizbullah for rocket attacks on Israel from Syria. These operations are not only militarily motivated, but also symbolically linked to destabilize the Lebanese government, which is responsible for Israel for the current situation. The Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said that the attacks continued until the Hizbullah has been disarmed, and emphasized that without security for Israel, no stability in Lebanon was possible. This confirms the assessments of many analysts that Israel sees the Hizbullah and their Iranian supporters as a permanent threat, as NZZ reported.

Within the Hizbullah, there is increasing pressure to react to the Israeli attacks, despite the possible devastating consequences for the civilian population and your own position in Lebanon. The air strikes of Israel are not only military actions, but also go hand in hand with psychological warfare how the normal population has felt the calls for evacuation. The Lebanese government has declared that it needed international support against the attacks, and the situation is tense up by the repeated air raids, which according to Tagesschau Salam more difficult.

The conflict between Israel and the Hizbullah remains unpredictable. While the bombing is ongoing, it turns out in different places in Beirut that despite the uncertainties, the citizens want to preserve a certain normality. The nightlife continues surprisingly, and flights from the region are overbooked. Nevertheless, the future remains uncertain, while both Israel and the Hizbullah could head for an escalation of the situation.