Israel’s wave of air strike across Lebanon this morning could take the war-ravaged region to the ‘brink of all-out conflict’.
People awoke to the news that Israel had fired off a series of air strikes across southern Lebanon in the early hours, in a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah.
Around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in the strikes, which killed four people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, as well as fighter for the Hezbollah ally group Amal.
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Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed to have launched 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The terrorist group said the attack was the “first stage” in avenging the death of one of its top commanders Fuad Shukr.
Shukr was conned to go to a higher floor in his hotel in Beirut, where he was hit with a possible Hellfire missile on July 30, in a suspected Mossad operation.
The next day, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was killed in a suspected Israeli hit.
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s now feared this major escalation in tensions could trigger all-out war, dragging in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.
Chris Hughes, The Mirror’s Defence and Security Editor, agreed that this morning’s air strikes could spark a wider conflict.
He said: “What happens in the next few hours or days could take this violence-hit region to the brink of all-out conflict, one that may even drag in other nations into a wider war.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He said that Israel and the Middle East have been braced for Iranian and Hezbollah response to the deaths of their commanders.
While Israel prevented Hezbollah’s assault, and diminished their military might, Lebanese militants are yet to strike.
Hughes said: “It is estimated that Israeli bomber crews hit more than 1,000 Hezbollah rocket launchers in an immensely complex attack.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“The response is likely to be huge from Hezbollah and possibly even Iran – and the size and effect of that response could trigger all-out war.”
Hughes believes Hezbollah and its Iranian paymasters are in cahoots with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and will plan unconventional attacks. This includes on-the-ground terrorist attacks.
He said: “This could involve using suicide bombers in unclaimed attacks inside Israeli cities or against Israeli or western allied interests globally.”
(Image: Getty Images)
There is pressure from Israelis living in the north of the country, who want troops to cross into Lebanon and push back Hezbollah to stop the constant missile attacks too, Hughes said.
“Again, that is something that could well trigger a further escalation since it would involve a ground war against Lebanese Hezbollah – which is an extension of Iran’s state military power,” he explained.
It’s also feared, this morning’s strikes could also torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for more than 10 months.
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