Israeli Airstrikes, Preparing for Ground Operation

Since Monday morning, Israeli airstrikes have claimed 569 lives in Lebanon, including 50 children, and injured 1,835 people. Israel’s military chief stated on Wednesday that these airstrikes would continue to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and prepare for a potential ground operation by Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, the United States has initiated diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon, according to sources. Proposals are currently being discussed at the United Nations General Assembly.

On Wednesday, Israel intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon and intercepted a missile launched by the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was aimed at the Mossad intelligence agency’s headquarters near Tel Aviv.

“You can hear the jets overhead; we’ve been striking all day,” General Herzi Halevi told Israeli troops stationed near the Lebanese border. “This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue weakening Hezbollah.”

World leaders have expressed concern that the conflict—running parallel to Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas, also supported by Iran—is rapidly escalating, with the death toll rising in Lebanon and thousands of people fleeing their homes.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington and its allies were working tirelessly to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Two Lebanese officials, two Western diplomats, a source familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking, and a source briefed on the talks—all of whom declined to be named—confirmed that Washington was now leading a new diplomatic push covering both the Gaza and Lebanon conflicts.

Three Israeli sources stated that the United States and France were working on ceasefire proposals to address the escalating conflict in Lebanon, which Hezbollah initiated in support of Hamas in Gaza, but no significant progress had been made so far.

At a meeting with Gulf Arab state officials and ministers in New York, Blinken remarked, “The risk of escalation in the region is acute … Diplomacy is the best answer, and our coordinated efforts are vital to preventing further escalation.”

Israeli airstrikes this week have targeted hundreds of sites across Lebanon, focusing on Hezbollah leadership, while the group has fired rockets into Israel, leading to the evacuation of thousands from border regions. Hundreds of Lebanese have been killed.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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