Tensions from the Middle East

Dr Asangba Tzudir

The escalating ‘war’ between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist organization, has only sparked greater concerns of a larger conflict in the Middle East. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel which started with exchanging fire across the border of Israel and Lebanon since the start of the war on Gaza last October of 2023 has descended into ‘war’. The exchange of rockets and airstrikes has resulted in casualties and large scale destruction on both sides and heightened tensions in the region while also capturing the attention of the world. Considering the way in which the ‘war’ is escalating, an all-out war between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran seems imminent. According to new CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies, US) analysis both the scale and geographic scope of violence have dramatically increased while the attacks are targeting a much larger geographic area and which is likely to grow. 

Named as Operation Northern Arrows by Israel, in mid-September 2024, Israeli intelligence sabotaged thousands of Hezbollah beepers and walkie-talkies, detonating them in an operation that killed dozens of group members and wounded thousands more. On September 27, 2024, Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike. Iran responded by launching missiles and other weapons at Israel. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, goes back to the 1980s. Hezbollah’s military capabilities also supported by Iran, is a significant force in the region with their stated objective to resist Israeli occupation and protect Lebanese sovereignty. Looking at the current conflict it is said to have surpassed any other phase of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. It is said that, following October 7, 2023 leading to September 22, 2024, on an average every week, there were 160 attacks. For now, Israel has vowed it could turn all of southern Lebanon into a battle zone, while Israeli politicians have also spoken of inflicting the same damage in Lebanon that the military has wreaked in Gaza.

However, it also brings into focus the implications of the conflict on the region. The instability in Lebanon and political imbalance; the Iranian involvement and the proxy wars; Israeli security which views Hezbollah as a serious threat to its national security, and above all considerations is the larger humanitarian concerns where civilian casualties are on the rise and huge displacement are escalating besides the everyday life of living in fear. As such, the international community has called for restraint and diplomacy while condemning violence and also encouraged diplomatic efforts. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres being “extremely concerned by the fast escalation of the conflict” has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, and added that “an all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected. He also appealed for International donors to provide urgent support for the $426 million humanitarian appeal launched at Beirut. 

Is there as way forward? While a permanent solution is not easy besides time taking, for any lasting solution, it requires diplomatic engagement through International mediation in order to address the underlying issues. An urgent necessity is for a ceasefire agreement so as to put an immediate end to the ‘war’ that is escalating each day. It also requires an in-depth study of the root causes by way of addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region’s geo-political power dynamics. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict is in urgent need of intervention from the international communities through diplomatic policies that promotes regional stability.

(Dr. Asangba Tzudir writes guest editorials for the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)