Der Konflikt zwischen Israel und der Hizbullah eskaliert: Die israelische Luftwaffe flog kurz vor dem Morgengrauen im Süden Libanons eine harte Welle von Luftangriffen. Es sind die heftigsten Attacken, seit die Hizbullah am 8. Oktober an der israelisch-libanesischen Grenze eine weitere Front im Gaza-Krieg eröffnete. Einwohner Südlibanons berichten, ihre Häuser hätten über viele Minuten lang gebebt.
Ein israelischer Armeesprecher sagte, es habe sich im Präventivschläge gehandelt, die Raketenangriffe der Hizbullah verhindern sollten. Es seien in einem Akt der Selbstverteidigung Ziele angegriffen worden, „die eine unmittelbare Gefahr für die Bürger des Staates Israel darstellen“.
Man habe „Vorbereitungen der Hizbullah für groß angelegte Angriffe auf israelisches Gebiet“ beobachtet. Mehr als 100 Kampfflugzeuge hätten Hunderte Raketenwerfer angegriffen, teilten die Streitkräfte laut Angaben der Zeitung „Haaretz“ später mit.
Offenbar schwere Schäden in Libanon
Sie richteten außerdem eine Warnung an die Bewohner Südlibanons: „Sie sind in Gefahr. Wir greifen an und eliminieren die Bedrohung durch die Hizbullah.“ Jeder, der sich in der Nähe von Gebieten aufhalte, in denen die Hizbullah operiere, sollte diese sofort verlassen, um sich und seine Familie zu schützen. Die staatliche libanesische Nachrichtenagentur meldete, die Angriffe hätten „schwere Schäden“ an der lokalen Infrastruktur, einschließlich der Strom- und Wasserversorgung angerichtet.
The Shiite organization, which is supported and controlled by Iran, has been threatening Israel for weeks with retaliation for the drone attack on July 30 on its stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Fuad Shukr, one of its most important military leaders, was killed.
Shortly after the Israeli air strikes, Hezbollah released several statements. The first one said that in a first response to this “aggression” it had attacked a military target deep inside Israel with a “large number” of drones.
48 hours of emergency
The organization announced that its military operation would take some time, although it remained unclear whether further waves of attacks would follow immediately or after a longer delay. The Israeli attacks were not mentioned, even in a subsequent statement, which said that the “first phase” of the retaliation had been completed “with complete success.” It also said that a total of 320 Katyusha rockets had been fired at military facilities.
Israel has prepared itself for a fierce attack by Hezbollah. The government declared a state of emergency for 48 hours on Sunday. Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv temporarily ceased operations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of the security cabinet for early in the morning.
According to his office, Defense Minister Yoav Galant spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Both discussed the importance of avoiding a regional escalation.
Assassinations have increased the risk of war
Washington has been trying for months to prevent the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah from getting out of control. The confrontation had already escalated over the past week. Israel had attacked targets in the Bekaa Valley on two days, while Hezbollah had expanded its rocket attacks to new areas.
Israel’s deadly attack on Hezbollah cadre Shukr and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyyeh shortly thereafter in the Iranian city of Tehran have put Hezbollah and its Iranian backers under pressure and significantly increased the risk of a full-scale war. The National Security Council spokesman said President Joe Biden is “closely following events in Israel and Lebanon.”
On the one hand, the American government is trying to de-escalate the conflict through diplomatic means, and on the other hand, it has increased its military presence in the region to deter Iran and its allies – including through two aircraft carrier groups.
Washington hopes that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip will help defuse regional tensions. But talks on the matter are deadlocked.
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