BEIRUT Enduring an onslaught

In Beirut’s southern suburb known as Dahiye, a thick neighborhood controlled by Hezbollah, several blasts resounded on Thursday. A few huge tufts of smoke were ascending after weighty Israeli strikes. Hezbollah said it exploded a bomb against Israeli powers invading a southern Lebanese town. It also attacked Israeli forces close to the line. This is another instance of Beirut enduring an onslaught.

Short-term, Israel bombarded the focal Beirut, in an assault that the Lebanese wellbeing service said killed nine individuals. Reuters columnists revealed hearing a weighty shoot after a structure in the locale of Bachoura was designated. It happened a couple of hundred meters from the parliament. This is the nearest an Israeli strike has come to the focal midtown region. Clearly, Beirut is enduring an onslaught.

A Hezbollah-linked common protection group stated that seven of its staff, including two doctors, were killed in the Beirut assault. Israel also said it struck a district working in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil. This attack killed 15 Hezbollah individuals and obliterated numerous weapons.

Eight Israeli troopers died in a ground battle on Wednesday in south Lebanon. The battle occurred as their forces pushed into its northern neighbor. As it drives into Lebanon, Israel is gauging its possibilities for a counter against its curve adversary Iran. Tehran sent off its largest at any point attack on Israel on Tuesday. It said this was a counter to Israel’s death of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. It also responded to Israel’s activities in Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Beirut is enduring an onslaught from all sides.

Tehran said its assault was finished, notwithstanding further incitement, but Israel has said it will hit back. The US has said Iran will confront “serious results” and that it would work with Israel. It also warned Iran not to act against U.S. powers in the district. Clearly, Beirut is enduring an onslaught in the larger regional conflict.

The key thing to understand is that Israel’s attacks on Hamas in Gaza are a response to Hamas’s actions. Its attacks on Hezbollah are a separate but simultaneous response to Hezbollah’s actions.

They are two different fronts in two different locations against two different organizations. However, they have become deeply linked in the current conflict. Here’s a breakdown:

1. The Core Confusion: Two Fronts, Two Enemies

• Gaza Front: This involves Israel vs. Hamas. Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group that governs the Gaza Strip.
• Lebanon Front: This involves Israel vs. Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a powerful Lebanese Shiite Islamist militant and political party. It is backed by Iran. Hezbollah is considered a much more formidable military force than Hamas.

Israel is not attacking Hezbollah in Gaza. It is attacking Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon (and sometimes in Syria).

2. Why Israel is Attacking Hamas in Gaza

This current round of conflict began with a specific trigger:

• On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched a massive, surprise attack from Gaza into southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 240 hostages.
• In response, Israel declared war on Hamas. They launched a large-scale military campaign (operation) in the Gaza Strip. This operation was named Operation Swords of Iron. The stated goals of this operation are to:
  1. Destroy Hamas’s military capabilities and governing authority.
  2. Secure the return of all hostages.

So, the bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza are a direct response to Hamas’s attack on October 7th.

3. Why Israel is Also Attacking Hezbollah (in Lebanon)

This is where the connection comes in. Almost immediately after the war in Gaza began on October 7th, the Lebanon front heated up.

• Hezbollah’s Actions: Hezbollah, in solidarity with Hamas and as part of an Iranian-backed “Axis of Resistance,” began launching near-daily attacks on northern Israel from Lebanon. These attacks have included:
  • Firing rockets and anti-tank missiles.
  • Attempting to infiltrate the border.
  • Using drones.
• Israel’s Response: Israel is responding to these attacks with artillery, airstrikes, and drone strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The goals of Israel’s response on this northern front are to:
  1. Push Hezbollah back from the border to allow tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return home.
  2. Deter Hezbollah from opening a full-scale second front.
  3. Degrade Hezbollah’s military assets and command structure near the border.

The Strategic Link: Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”

These two conflicts are happening simultaneously because both Hamas and Hezbollah serve as proxies of Iran. Iran provides them with funding, weapons, and training. While they have different primary goals, Hamas is Palestinian-focused. Hezbollah is Lebanon-focused but also opposes Israel. They are strategically aligned against Israel under Iran’s umbrella.

Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has stated that their attacks from Lebanon are intended to show solidarity with Hamas. They aim to “divert Israeli forces” and resources away from the Gaza assault. This strategy opens a second front to relieve pressure on Hamas.

Summary: Why It Seems Connected

To put it simply:

• Attack on Gaza (vs. Hamas): A direct war triggered by the October 7th massacre.
• Attack on Lebanon (vs. Hezbollah): A separate but simultaneous conflict of attrition along the northern border, triggered by Hezbollah’s decision to open a “support front” for Hamas.

Therefore, Israel is not attacking Hezbollah in Gaza. It is fighting two distinct but interconnected wars on two different borders. These conflicts are against two Iranian-backed allies. They are coordinating, to a degree, against a common enemy (Israel).