UA wave of terror once again spread across Lebanon on Wednesday, September 18. In the southern suburbs of Beirut, tensions suddenly rose a notch shortly after 5 p.m. when explosions rang out in Hezbollah’s stronghold. After the simultaneous explosion of pagers the day before, which killed twelve people and injured nearly 3,000, most of them fighters from the Shiite party, walkie-talkies this time exploded across the country, killing twenty – among Hezbollah fighters, according to the party – and injuring 450, according to a provisional report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Read also | In Lebanon, twenty dead and more than 450 injured in a second wave of explosions
Add to your selections
Panic gripped the southern suburbs. Hezbollah members threw their phones to the ground, worried that all the Shiite group’s communications equipment had been compromised. Residents anxiously scanned the sky, where Israeli surveillance drones had been spotted. The series of attacks, blamed on Israel and denounced as “blind and illegal” in the eyes of international law by the NGO Human Rights Watch, has succeeded in instilling fear and paranoia among the population.
Tactical success for Israel
Within Hezbollah’s ranks, there is speculation as to whether this operation is a prelude to an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon or a simple warning to the party to stop its attacks on Israel. In October 2023, Shortly after the Hamas attack on the Hebrew state, The Shiite party has begun launching rockets into northern Israel, in an effort to loosen the grip on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and capitalize on its image of resistance in the Arab world. As hopes for a negotiated solution in the Gaza Strip and on the Lebanese border fade, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Wednesday a “new phase of the war”this time in northern Israel.
“By demonstrating its intelligence superiority, Israel has once again succeeded in humiliating Hezbollah and, indirectly, Iran.”said Ali Alfoneh, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. The series of attacks has disorganized Hezbollah’s ranks, damaged the morale of its supporters and reduced its immediate ability to respond. Even before it can prepare its response, the Party of God will have to identify security gaps and informants and adapt its security protocols. “These formations learn from their mistakes and will be pushed towards technological autonomy, to reduce the risk of infiltration”predicts Ali Alfoneh.
You have 66.94% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Related News :