After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas….reports Asian Lite News
The United States is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East given escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Pentagon said, declining to specify the precise number or mission of the deployed forces.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters.
After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas.
Israel’s military struck Hezbollah in Lebanon’s south, eastern Bekaa valley and northern region near Syria in its most widespread strikes. An Israeli strike on Monday evening on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the southern front, a security source told Reuters.
President Joe Biden’s administration has been seeking to contain the conflict to Gaza and has repeatedly called for the Israel-Lebanon border crisis to be resolved through diplomacy. That call for diplomacy has been underscored by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in daily calls with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Experts question whether Iran would stay on the sidelines if Lebanon’s Hezbollah’s existence were threatened and say US troops could also find themselves targeted throughout the Middle East, if a regional war breaks out.
In their call on Sunday, Austin suggested that no outside actors should intervene in the conflict.
“The Secretary made clear that the United States remains postured to protect U.S. forces and personnel and determined to deter any regional actors from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Those US capabilities include the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, fighter aircraft and air defenses.
“We have more capability in the region today than we did on April 14th when Iran conducted its drone and missile attack against Israel,” Ryder said.
“So all of those forces combined provide us with the options to be able to protect our forces should they be attacked.”
Ryder referred to Iran’s attack by more than 300 missiles and drones, which caused only modest damage inside Israel thanks to air defense interceptions from the United States, Britain and other allies in the region. The April 14 strikes were Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel.
‘Gazans enduring darkest chapter in modern history’
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa warned UN member states on Monday that his people in Gaza “are enduring one of the darkest chapters in modern history.”
Palestinians have embraced the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, “pursuing a transformative plan of action based on human dignity and shared prosperity,” he said.
But he cautioned that Palestinians face a worsening humanitarian crisis due to Israel’s illegal occupation.
“For nearly a year now, Israel’s genocidal war (in Gaza) has caused unprecedented loss and suffering and humanitarian catastrophe,” said Mustafa.
“At the same time, our people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continue to face systemic threats,” he added.
“For over 76 years, our people have been forced to endure multiple man-made catastrophes that have directly undermined our efforts to achieve justice, peace and prosperity,” Mustafa said.
“Despite long years of oppression and occupation, our people remained steadfast. We firmly believed that human capital is our greatest asset.”
China FM slams indiscriminate attacks on civilians
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi expressed support for Lebanon and condemned what he termed “indiscriminate attacks against civilians,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Meeting his Lebanese counterpart in New York, Wang said: “We pay close attention to developments in the region, especially the recent explosion of communications equipment in Lebanon, and firmly oppose indiscriminate attacks against civilians.”
Last week, a series of coordinated communications device blasts across Lebanon killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000.
And on Monday, Israeli air strikes killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and wounded 1,645 others in the country, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Wang acknowledged the strikes, saying China “strongly condemns any violation of the basic norms governing international relations.”
“No matter how the situation changes, we will always stand on the side of justice, on the side of our Arab brothers, including Lebanon,” Wang told Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
“Armed force does not represent truth, and might only undermines peace,” Wang said.
“Countering violence with violence will not solve the problems in the Middle East and will only lead to an even greater humanitarian disaster,” he added.
China also urged its citizens to leave Israel on Sunday as tensions with Lebanon grew.
China has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the crisis in Gaza.
In July, the country brokered a “national unity” deal between Hamas, Fatah, and other Palestinian organizations to rule Gaza together after the war.
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