Israel began bombing Lebanon on Monday, marking the deadliest assault on the country since the 2006 war. More than 1,000 people have been killed since, and more than 90,000 have reportedly been displaced between Sept. 17 and 24 alone. This number is now likely much higher, following Israel’s carpet-bombing campaign in Beirut last night.
The Israeli regime parrotted a false narrative of launching “very precise” attacks on Sept. 27 to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Yet Israel dropped bombs sporadically on Beirut’s Dahiye suburb, flattening at least six tower buildings, and hitting surrounding neighborhoods as well as areas in the South and East of the country. This use of indiscriminate, disproportionate force on civilians and civilian infrastructure to cause deterrence is known as the “Dahiya Doctrine” — a strategy used in the 2006 Lebanon War and replicated in Gaza.
Today, Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death and vowed to continue its fight against Israel in support of Gaza, Palestine, and the people of Lebanon.
Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid praised the Israeli Occupation Forces sharing on X, “Let all our enemies know that whoever attacks Israel is a son of death.”
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Research published in The Lancet journal estimates that the true death toll is more than 186,000 and increasing.
On Sept. 25, The Washington Post reported that Israel’s top military official, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, indicated that airstrikes on Lebanon are a precursor to a possible ground invasion. “We are preparing the process of a maneuver,” Halevi told Israeli troops.
Addressing the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24, President Joe Biden reiterated the need for a diplomatic solution. “Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” Biden said. In a statement released by the White House today, Biden called Nasrallah’s assassination “a measure of justice.” His statement did not address the terrorizing, murder, and displacement of residents, nor the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Yesterday, he told reporters that the U.S. had “no knowledge” of Israel’s military activity in Beirut. Earlier this week, Israel had secured a further $8.7 billion in military aid from the U.S.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24, announced that his foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, would travel to Lebanon as part of efforts to defuse the crisis. Macron stressed the urgency of stopping the violence, calling on both Israel and Hezbollah to cease hostilities immediately. “There cannot be, must not be war in Lebanon,” he stated, urging both entities to prioritize peace and stability.
On Sept. 26, the U.S. and France jointly called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon as the death toll from Israeli airstrikes continued to rise. Presidents Biden and Macron issued this appeal during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent an escalation into a regional war.
In a joint statement released by the White House, the U.S. and allies declared the situation in Lebanon “intolerable” and stated that continued violence serves neither the interests of the people of Israel nor those of Lebanon. “We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to create space for diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a lasting solution,” the statement read. This call was supported by several countries including Canada, Australia, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Israel, however, rejected ceasefire calls. Netanyahu, arriving to address the UN General Assembly, told reporters on Friday “[Israel’s] policy is clear: We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we achieve all our goals.”
On Sept. 23, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed that he was "gravely alarmed by the escalating situation along the Blue Line and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women, being reported by the Lebanese authorities."
“It is not too late to go back to diplomacy,” said his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, in a conversation with Al Jazeera. Guterres highlighted the humanitarian implications, stressing that the people of Lebanon, Israel, and the wider region cannot afford a full-scale war.
On Sept 24, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, reiterated the need for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law. “The laws of war oblige all parties to observe the principle of proportionality,” she said, calling for transparent investigations into incidents involving civilian casualties.
After yesterday’s attacks, Guterres reiterated his concern of the “dramatic escalation in Beirut.”
Speaking with reporters after arriving in New York on Sept. 23 for the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and warned of “irreversible” consequences if the situation escalates further. “We want to live in peace; we don’t want war,” Pezeshkian said, emphasizing that an expanded war would not benefit anyone in the region or beyond.
On Sept. 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned that Tehran — which has recently refrained from retaliating against Israel despite direct assaults on Iranian soil, including the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Hanieh — may soon abandon its restraint. "The region is on the brink of a full-scale catastrophe. If unchecked, the world will face catastrophic consequences," he stated to reporters.
After Nasrallah’s assassination, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel’s actions in Lebanon “criminal” and called on Muslims globally to stand by Lebanon.
In Jordan, hundreds participated in a rally on Sept. 24 near the Israeli embassy in Amman to express support for the people of Gaza and Lebanon, condemning Israel’s aggression against civilians and denouncing the United States for its unlimited support for Israel. Protesters chanted slogans supporting the resistance in both Gaza and Lebanon and called for Jordan and other Arab countries to immediately suspend peace treaties and normalization with Israel.
A day earlier, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the UN Security Council to take immediate action to halt Israel’s aggression. Echoing these sentiments, Egypt called on the UNSC to intervene, condemning any “violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty” and stressing the need to prevent a regional war.
On Sept. 23, Qatar also condemned “in the strongest terms the Israeli aggression on Lebanon,” warning of the expansion of violence in the region and its potential to spiral into a regional war. In its statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that the ongoing escalation is “primarily due to the absence of any deterrent to Israel’s actions, its continued repeated violations of international law, and its continued impunity.” The ministry also warned that this reality “exacerbates the crises, puts the region on the brink of the abyss, and exposes it to more tensions that will have a profound impact regionally and internationally.”
