By Deutsche Welle
01 Oct 2024, 09:43 AM EDT
Israel justified on Tuesday (10/1/2024) its decision to launch incursions into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, arguing that the Shiite group was planning an attack similar to the one launched by Hamas on October 7 of last year, which left some 1,200 dead and 251 kidnapped, and was the trigger for the Israeli offensive in Gaza to begin.
“Offensive against Hezbollah, not against the Lebanese people”
“Hezbollah has turned Lebanese towns near Israeli communities into military basesprepared for an attack against Israel,” the main military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said in a video message.
In his words, the Israeli incursions are “limited” and are directed against these towns along the border, reiterating that the offensive is against Hezbollah, not against the Lebanese people.
A week of intense attacks
Several Israeli leaders, such as the opposition Benny Gantz or former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, sent messages of support to the Army on social networks, and the Minister of National Security, the anti-Arab ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, assured that “it is time to not stop.” in the attacks against Hezbollah.
Ground offensive comes after a week of intense airstrikes against southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are Hezbollah’s main strongholds in the country.
Keep reading:
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• Benjamin Netanyahu rules out possible truce in Lebanon