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The Israeli attacks on Lebanon on 23 September, 2024 were believed by many to be the start of the Third Lebanon War.[1][2]
| Third Lebanon War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict amidst the Israel–Hamas war, Iran–Israel proxy conflict and the Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Israeli Defense Forces |
 HezbollahJihad Council | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Benjamin Netanyahu Yoav Gallant Ori Gordin |
Hassan Nasrallah | ||||||
A relative low level conflict between Israel and Hezbollah had already been happening since October 8, 2023.
Transition from conflict to war
editAlex Plitsas of the Atlantic Council argues the attacks constituted the start of the Third Lebanon War. He points out the significant jump in escalations as well Israel's expansion of military objectives and finally the massive aerial bombardment of 23 September.[3] An Israeli security official speaking to Ynet agreed this was the beginning of the Third Lebanon War.[4] Washington Post columnist David Ignatius there was much dread inside Lebanon as "this was a war that both sides had hoped to avoid".[5] David Wood of the International Crisis Group said if the strikes on Lebanon continue at the same intensity, that would be a "full-scale war".[6]
AP News pointed out that neither side had officially referred to this as war yet.[7] Israel Katz said on 23 September that Israel was "not interested in a full-scale war",[8] on 19 September Hassan Nasrallah had said Hezbollah wasn't interested in an escalation.,[9] and on 23 September the Iranian president said he opposed war.[10] European Union chief Joseph Borrell said "If this is not a war situation, I don't know what you would call it."[11] Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi said on 23 September "war is imminent in the north. We’ll have to deal with Hezbollah before the winter, we don’t have a lot of time."[12]
Attacks considered to be the start of war
editOn 17 and 18 September 2024, thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in a series of coordinated explosions.[13] The attacks killed 42 people and injured at least 3,500, with both Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah members affected.[14][15][16] Many have reported that Israel was behind the explosions, although Israeli officials have denied involvement.[17][18] Hezbollah has described the act as a possible declaration of war by Israel and launched a rocket attack on northern Israel a few days later.[19][20] Prior to the strikes, Israel ordered citizens in Lebanon to evacuate.[21]
On 23 September, Israel launched several waves of airstrikes across Lebanon on various targets, killing nearly 500 people.
References
edit- ^ "The Third Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah has begun. What's next?". Atlantic Council. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Events in North amount to 'Third Lebanon War,' security official says". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "The Third Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah has begun. What's next?". Atlantic Council. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Events in North amount to 'Third Lebanon War,' security official says". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 23 September 2024.
- ^ Ignatius, David (23 September 2024). "Opinion | Sadness and dread as the next Lebanon war looms". Washington Post.
- ^ "Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes pound Lebanon as hostilities escalate".
- ^ "Is this war? The Israeli-Hezbollah conflict is hard to define — or predict". AP News. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Middle East latest: Israel 'prepared' to invade Lebanon if necessary, IDF says". Sky News.
- ^ "Hezbollah chief says Israel crossed 'all red lines' with attacks". www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Iran president accuses Israel of seeking conflict, says opposes war". Arab News. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Nearly a full-fledged war in Lebanon, EU's Borrell says".
- ^ "Israel vs Hezbollah: What's going on? Will Jewish nation invade Lebanon?". Firstpost. 23 September 2024.
- ^ Kent, Lauren (17 September 2024). "Israel behind deadly pager explosions that targeted Hezbollah and injured thousands in Lebanon". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ Christou, William (20 September 2024). "'We are isolated, tired, scared': pager attack leaves Lebanon in shock". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Hijazi, S. (20 September 2024). "Nasrallah: We suffered a 'hard blow'... but Israel failed". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ David Brennan; Nadine El-Bawab (18 September 2024). "20 more dead, 450 injured as new round of explosions rocks Lebanon: Health officials". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel had 'no connection' with deadly exploding pager attack, president claims". The Independent. 22 September 2024. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Frenkel, Sheera; Bergman, Ronen; Saad, Hwaida (18 September 2024). "How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
Even before Mr. Nasrallah decided to expand pager usage, Israel had put into motion a plan to establish a shell company that would pose as an international pager producer. By all appearances, B.A.C. Consulting was a Hungary-based company that was under contract to produce the devices on behalf of a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. In fact, it was part of an Israeli front, according to three intelligence officers briefed on the operation. They said at least two other shell companies were created as well to mask the real identities of the people creating the pagers: Israeli intelligence officers.
- ^ "Dozens of Hezbollah members wounded in Lebanon when pagers exploded, sources and witnesses say". Reuters. 17 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah: Israel Crossed All Red Lines, This Is a Declaration of War". Haaretz. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Kingsley, Patrick; Boxerman, Aaron (23 September 2024). "Israel and Hezbollah Trade Heavy Fire; Over 180 Killed in Lebanon, Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 September 2024.