Hundred days of Israelās latest war on Lebanon
Israelās second intensification of its war on Lebanon within two years has reached 100 days, killing thousands. Beirut, Lebanon ā Tuesday marks 100 days since
Israelās second intensification of its war on Lebanon within two years has reached 100 days, killing thousands. Beirut, Lebanon ā Tuesday marks 100 days since the beginning of Israelās second military intensification against Lebanon in less than two years. Over the last 100 days, Israeli forces have destroyed dozens of villages in southern Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon have engaged in rounds of direct diplomatic talks for the first time in decades, but multiple efforts to fully implement a ceasefire have fallen by the wayside. As Israelās latest war on Lebanon marks 100 days, efforts are still under way to end the fighting on multiple fronts. In addition to direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, Iran has pledged to link the conflict to any ceasefire deal it makes with the United States and Israel. On Sunday, Iran attacked Israel as retaliation for an attack on Beirutās southern suburbs, which Tehran considers a red line. Still, fighting continues in the south between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, the pro-Iran political and paramilitary group that is opposed to the Lebanese governmentās direct talks with Israel. Hezbollah has recently started using fibre-optic drones in the fight, which has led to a new dynamic on the battlefield. āTheyāve gone back to their guerrilla roots,ā Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of a book on Hezbollah, told Al Jazeera. āThe intention now, like back in the 1990s, is to wear the Israelis down. They have to keep overcoming whatever defensive and offensive measures the Israelis bring to bear in the south so that they can keep killing and wounding Israeli soldiers.ā Thousands killed Israel has not slackened the intensity of its attacks in southern Lebanon.
Even on the 100th day of the latest round of the war, it continued the pattern of forcibly displacing Lebanese, issuing a threat in the southern coastal city of Tyre, including its portside Christian quarter, which had not been threatened previously. At least eight people were killed in an air raid on a residential area in the city. Israel also continued attacking areas across southern Lebanon. Israelās intensification of its war on Lebanon began on March 2, shortly after Hezbollah fired six rockets at Israel. It was Hezbollahās first response to Israeli aggression in more than a year. The group said it had responded because of Israelās continued ceasefire violations, with continued attacks on Lebanon despite the 2024 agreement, and because of the killing of Iranās Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just two days earlier, at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. Since then, Israel has killed more than 3,600 people in Lebanon, according to the countryās Ministry of Public Health, including at least 245 children. Another 11,000 people have been wounded in Israeli attacks, among them at least 900 children. Among the dead are many civilians. At least 131 paramedics have been killed, including some in double- or triple-tap strikes, and 17 hospitals have been damaged and three fully closed. Journalists have also been targeted in the last 100 days. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is trying to impose its authority, and is under pressure from the US and Israel to crack down on Hezbollah, which has long been a powerful force in Lebanon. On March 2, the Lebanese government declared Hezbollahās military activities illegal, though it has had little impact on the groupās operational capabilities to date.
