War looms as Israel attacks Hezbollah
Evidently, the situation in the
Middle East is worsening as Israel targets the pro-Iranian militias in Syria
and Lebanon. Hezbollah spokesman Mohamed
Afif said Sunday two Israeli drones fell crashed on Hezbollah’s building in
Beirut. One of the drones did not cause any damage.
Afif said that an armed Israeli
drone exploded outside the organization’s propaganda offices in the Lebanese
capital of Beirut, causing damage to the structure.
The Hezbollah spokesman said the
group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, would comment on the incident further in a
speech.
An Israeli military source said that
Israel conducted airstrikes in Syria to thwart a plan by Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Al Quds Force.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu hailed the military’s “major operational effort”. “Iran has no
immunity anywhere,” he said. “Our forces operate in every sector against the
Iranian aggression.”
Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on
Sunday that Israeli reconnaissance flights over Beirut “are a clear breach of
Lebanese sovereignty and the UN resolution (1701)” that ended the 2006 war, ,
after two Israeli drones crashed in the capital.
Hariri said he was in contact with
President Michel Aoun and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss next
steps. Aoun said the incident was “further evidence of Israel’s aggressive
intentions and its targeting of stability and peace in Lebanon and the region”.
Khaled Hamada, a Lebanese military
expert, says that the targeting of southern Damascus and attacking Hezbollah in
Beirut is strong message from Israel to Iran.
“If Hezbollah strikes back, “we will
actually engage in a regional conflict between Iran and the United States, as
well as other conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq,” Hamada told the Lebanese
Arabic newspaper Al Liwaa.
For his part, political science
professor Firas Elias, who is an expert on national security and Iranian
studies, said the recent Israeli airstrikes inside Syria signal a very serious
warning. However, that’s not the main reason for a looming armed conflict in
the region, Elias said.
“In addition to other strikes
launched by Israeli warplanes in Iraq, other regional and international
developments indicate there may be a war on Iran,” Elias told THE REFERENCE.
“We should point out that war in
this case will not necessarily by the use of bombs and missiles against Iran.
In fact, just the sense of the Iranian political decision-maker of looming war is
actually war,” he said, noting that the recent developments in Syria and
Lebanon are messages to Iran.
“As Tehran cannot retaliate directly,
the most possible scenario is that its affiliates will attack Israel. Generally
speaking, Iran cannot fight on various fronts. That would be dangerous to
Iran's national security,” he added.