Israel Intensifies Lebanon Attacks Amid Regional War Fears

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed at the United Nations that Israel would press ahead with its attacks on Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, inside Lebanon. On Friday, Netanyahu’s forces bombed what they said was Hezbollah’s Beirut headquarters inside a densely packed neighborhood, the heaviest attack on the Lebanese capital in almost two decades and a major escalation of a broader conflict tied to the war with Hamas in Gaza. The target, Israel said, was Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader. “Israel has every right to remove this threat,” Netanyahu said of Hezbollah during a frosty reception at the United Nations on Friday. On Saturday, Israel said it had killed Nasrallah, which Hezbollah later confirmed.

Hezbollah rockets have forced evacuation of parts of Israel’s north, and Israel said it began its most recent bombing campaign to allow Israelis to return home. Some 700 people in Lebanon have been killed since the first major strikes earlier this week. The conflict took a decisive turn after a deadly attack—widely believed to be by Israel—in which thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies owned primarily by Hezbollah members exploded. Since then, US officials had worked with European allies and Arab powers on a three-week cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah—a better-armed and more formidable foe than Hamas. As with proposed cease fires in Gaza, Netanyahu ultimately rejected it. The consequences of Netanyahu’s decision to open another front in Lebanon could come to him from many sides. Iran could repeat, with more force, its April barrage of drones and missiles, most of which were shot down by the US military. Already strained relations with the Biden administration, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in weapons, may worsen. So far, Israel appears intent on pushing Hezbollah back without sending in ground troops. But fears of all-out regional war may nevertheless be realized if Iran is drawn directly into the fight—which seems more likely now with Israel’s killing of Nasrallah.