While many focus on the Strait of Hormuz as a flashpoint between the U.S. and Iranian governments, a great source of tension in the region stems from Israel’s continued attacks and designs on Lebanon.
The Israeli +972 Magazine just published the piece “Lebanon walks into Israel’s trap” which states: “The latest agreement only confirms what Hezbollah has warned: Negotiations that fail to secure Israel’s full military withdrawal will prove a fatal mistake.”
AntiWar.com reports in “Strikes on Lebanon Continue as Israeli DM Says They Are ‘Applying Rafah Model’” that: “Israeli forces continued to carry out drone strikes across southern Lebanon again this weekend, along with reported artillery strikes against towns around the Tyre District. At least one person was reported killed in incidents, and several others wounded. …
“Mass demolition in the southernmost parts of Lebanon is an ongoing problem, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz quoted as saying the country was ‘applying the Rafah Model’ on Lebanon, and that southern Lebanon would ultimately turn into Gaza, citing the mass level of destruction inflicted on the Gaza Strip in recent years.”
The reference to Rafah is to the city in Gaza which Israel pulverized in 2024, in direct contravention of a May 24, 2024 order from the International Court of Justice. The UN Security Council never implemented that order because shortly after it was issued, Biden claimed Netanyahu had agreed to a “ceasefire” and got the Council to approve a U.S. resolution which backed that ceasefire process which never happened under Biden — and ignored the ICJ orders.
Ironically, the president of the ICJ at the time, Nawaf Salam, is now prime minister of Lebanon.
AntiWar.com also reports: “Israeli Forces Raid Southwest Syria, Shell Quneitra and Daraa Governorates.”
Available for interviews:
HANADY SALMAN, [email protected]
Salman is a journalist based in Beirut. She was recently featured on IPA news releases including “Is Lebanon Giving Up Its Sovereignty for ‘Peace?’”