From Gaza to Lebanon: Israel’s War Machine Keeps Rolling
In a chilling escalation of Middle Eastern tensions, Israel stands poised on the precipice of a major offensive against Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militia. This isn’t merely sabre-rattling; it’s the death rattle of regional stability, threatening to plunge us into a maelstrom of violence that could engulf the entire region.
Since Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, we’ve witnessed the unfolding of a catastrophic genocide in Gaza. The Israeli response has been nothing short of apocalyptic, with over 40,000 Palestinian civilians – mostly women and children – slaughtered in a relentless campaign of indiscriminate bombing and siege warfare. This isn’t war; it’s the systematic extermination of a people.
Now, as Gaza burns, the conflict has spilt over to Lebanon. What began as sporadic exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel has now erupted into a full-blown crisis. The Lebanese border has become a powder keg, with each day bringing new atrocities and escalations. Civilians on both sides are caught in the crossfire, their lives deemed expendable in this deadly geopolitical chess game.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has declared that the war against Hezbollah has entered a “new phase,” with Israel shifting its focus northward. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has branded the attacks as “acts of war,” raising fears of imminent retaliation.
As tensions escalate, a troubling narrative has emerged from Western pundits and politicians, calling for restraint from Hezbollah. This stance, however, reveals a stark double standard in international relations and a concerning misrepresentation of the conflict’s realities.
Consider for a moment how a Western nation like the United Kingdom would respond if subjected to similar attacks on its soil. The reaction would likely be swift and decisive, with immediate retaliation considered not just justified, but expected. Yet, when it comes to Lebanon and Hezbollah, the same right to self-defence is apparently deemed unacceptable.
This hypocrisy becomes even more glaring when we confront the stark reality of aggression in the region. The numbers tell a damning story: Israel, not Hezbollah, has been the primary instigator of violence, responsible for an overwhelming 80% of cross-border attacks with Lebanon in the past year. This fact shatters the carefully constructed narrative of Israel as the perpetual victim.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s response to these repeated provocations has been one of extraordinary restraint. Despite the barrage of attacks, the group has largely held its fire, demonstrating a level of strategic patience that stands in sharp contrast to Israel’s aggressive posture.
What’s desperately needed is a seismic shift in how this conflict is portrayed and discussed. Western media and politicians must abandon their knee-jerk support for Israel and confront the uncomfortable truths of its actions. It’s time to call out Israel’s war machine for what it is – a destabilizing force that threatens to plunge the entire region into chaos.
This isn’t about taking sides; it’s about holding all parties accountable. The West’s reluctance to criticize Israel’s aggression not only undermines its credibility but also enables further violence. Until there’s honest, unbiased reporting and political discourse that acknowledges Israel’s role in escalating tensions, we’re unlikely to see any meaningful progress towards peace.
The stakes are too high for continued silence or equivocation. It’s time for Western leaders and media to muster the courage to speak truth to power, even when that truth is inconvenient. Only then can we hope to break the cycle of violence and move towards a just and lasting resolution in the region.
The West has taken a narrative of Israel’s continued right to self-defence. Such facts stand in stark contrast to the image often painted by Israeli propagandists, who portray Hezbollah as constantly raining rockets upon Israel. This mischaracterisation serves to distort public perception and justify aggressive actions.
The past week has witnessed a stunning acceleration of hostilities:
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Israel unleashes a technological terror campaign, detonating thousands of IEDs disguised as pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon. The toll? At least 37 dead, including children, and 3,000 injured.
- Thursday: Israeli airstrikes pummel Lebanon, shattering any pretence of restraint.
- Friday: In a brazen assassination, Israel eliminates Hezbollah leader Ibrahim Aqil and 11 others in Beirut, collapsing buildings and wounding dozens more.
Somewhere along the lines and very soon someone needs to call this out for what it is…This isn’t warfare; it’s state-sponsored terrorism masquerading as self-defence. The sophistication of these attacks raises profound questions about the future of cyber warfare, the vulnerability of tech supply chains, and the ethics of such operations. International law experts, including a UN panel, have rightly accused Israel of violating international law. But in the theatre of modern conflict, legality seems a quaint notion.
Late on Friday, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said: “We risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far.”
Speaking at a meeting of the UN security council which had been convened to discuss Israel’s attacks, DiCarlo said: “It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy. I also strongly urge member states with influence over the parties to leverage it now.”
The international community’s tepid response to this unfolding catastrophe is nothing short of criminal complicity. Western powers, particularly the United States, continue to enable Israel’s war machine with arms and diplomatic cover, all while paying lip service to “peace” and “restraint.” This hypocrisy lays bare the hollow nature of their purported commitment to human rights and international law.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said Israel’s attacks would continue after the Beirut strike. “The sequence of actions in the new phase will continue until our goal is achieved: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Gallant posted on X.
The Israeli strategy is as clear as it is cruel: disrupt communications, decapitate leadership, then unleash hell.
It’s “Shock and Awe” for the digital age, a display of overwhelming power designed to paralyse and demoralise. Yet history teaches us that such tactics often backfire, breeding resentment and resistance rather than submission.
Yet while the spectre of a wider war looms large. U.S. officials, even as they back Israel to the hilt, have stressed their desire to avoid a broader conflict. Yet their actions speak louder than their words. By continuing to support Israel’s aggressive posture, they become complicit in the potential devastation to come.
Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, repeated Washington’s assertions that the US had played no role in the attacks and called on all parties to “refrain from any actions which could plunge the region into a devastating war”.
Netanyahu’s political calculations add another layer of complexity. Appeasing his far-right coalition seems to take precedence over de-escalation, even as Israel faces an economic crisis and diplomatic isolation. The cynical calculus of power trumps the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians.
As we hurtle toward catastrophe, the international community seems paralysed. Russia, Jordan, and Egypt have rightly called out Israel’s actions as an attempt to drag the Middle East into a broader regional war. Yet effective intervention remains elusive.
The wild card in this deadly game is Iran. With its ambassador to Lebanon injured in the pager attacks and the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Tehran unavenged, Tehran faces mounting pressure to act. Their failed missile strike against Israel in April only raises the stakes for a more decisive response.
For those of us bearing witness to this unfolding tragedy, it’s becoming painfully clear that we are unwilling passengers on a train speeding toward disaster. The powerful seem hell-bent on war, no matter the cost in human lives or regional stability.
As the situation spirals out of control, we must ask ourselves: At what point does silence become complicity? When will the international community find the courage to stand up to this madness? The clock is ticking, and the future of the Middle East hangs in the balance.
At some point, you have to ask…where are the so-called peace-loving politicians now?
In answer, they’ve gone to ground, neither doves nor hawks, but vultures perched on the sidelines. As bodies pile up and the Middle East teeters on the precipice of all-out war, an ugly truth emerges: this isn’t about defence or security. It’s a naked grab for power and land, a ruthless pursuit of geopolitical aims no matter the human cost.
These vultures don’t seek to prevent conflict; they are waiting to feast on its aftermath. They’ll pick clean the carcass of what remains once the bombs stop falling and the dust settles. Their silence now is not neutrality, but a calculated bet on who’ll come out on top.
There is always a prize, a goal, a grab, a resource to be stolen..
In 1981, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, calling on Israel to rescind its imposition of Israeli law on the plateau. It declared Israel’s rule over Golan “null and void and without international legal effect”.In 2019, the US, under then-President Donald Trump, recognised Israeli sovreignty over the Golan Heights. The recognition still stands, even under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Israel has advanced gas and oil exploration in the Golan. Israel issued its first license to drill exploratory wells for gas and oil reserves in 2013 to an Israeli company, Afek Oil and Gas (‘Afek’), a subsidiary of Genie Energy, a massive United States-based energy corporation linked to Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch. Afek claims that the Golan contains ‘billions of barrels of Israeli oil’ and that the oil ‘is expected to enrich [Israel’s] coffers in the amount of at least 5 billion shekels a year’. Afek’s drilling license covered the majority of the southern half of the Golan, where it dug 10 wells before halting drilling activities in 2017. Although Afek has paused its drilling, it remains optimistic about large oil reserves in the Golan and is still actively seeking licenses in the region. Drilling for oil for private gain in occupied territory is a clear violation of international law.
We must not let them off the hook. This is to big for their pantomime. Their inaction speaks volumes, revealing a cynical worldview where human lives are mere pawns in a grand chess game. It’s high time we called out this hypocrisy and demanded real leadership, not vultures circling overhead, but voices of reason willing to stand up and say “enough.”
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