(Photo : IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Lebanese security forces man a position as they clash with protesters outside the US Embassy in Awkar east of Beirut, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, on October 18, 2023. Thousands rallied across the Arab and Muslim world on October 18 to protest the deaths of hundreds of people in a strike on a Gaza hospital that they blame on Israel, despite its denials.
Lebanon's Hezbollah announced that it had carried out a series of attacks on Israeli targets using guided missiles.
In a recent statement, the Shiite militant group has claimed responsibility for launching missiles at three Israeli sites.
Conflict and Protests Surround Gaza Hospital Explosion
These targeted locations include a center for Israeli soldiers and a surveillance and reconnaissance system situated south of Al-Manara in northern Israel. The group asserts that their attack has resulted in several casualties.
The Middle East has once again become the center of global attention due to the recent events unfolding in Lebanon. The protest in the Aukar neighborhood of Beirut on a Wednesday was just one chapter in a larger narrative of conflict, suspicion, and discord in the region.
The backdrop of this protest was US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, where he made a show of solidarity with the nation.This visit coincided with the aftermath of an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital that claimed hundreds of lives and sparked mass protests.
US President Joe Biden offered his assessment that the explosion was not the result of a strike by the Israeli military. However, conflicting narratives surround the incident.
The Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, along with several Arab countries, accuses Israel of striking the hospital. In contrast, the Israeli military contends that it was a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Gaza.
The ensuing protests in Lebanon were a manifestation of the regional tensions generated by these conflicting accounts. Demonstrators in Beirut, holding Palestinian flags alongside the flags of various Palestinian factions, targeted the US Embassy outside the city.
They took down a security wall and cut through a barbed wire barrier. The response from riot police was swift, as they deployed tear gas canisters and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Several individuals were injured in the ensuing clashes.
Across the city, in a southern suburb, Hezbollah, a key ally of Hamas, organized its own rally. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters and Palestinians joined the demonstration, waving Palestinian flags and expressing their outrage over the Gaza hospital explosion.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine conveyed a powerful message during his speech, calling for regional solidarity against what he referred to as "American tyranny."
The protesters chanted "death to America" and burned an American flag to show their solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The ongoing violence in Gaza, which has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths since the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel in early October, is a source of deep anguish and anger for many in the region, according to Business Standard.
Hezbollah-Israel Tensions Escalate, Prompt Evacuations
Meanwhile, tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have flared along the Lebanon-Israel border. While skirmishes have remained localized to a few border towns, both sides have issued threats of escalating aggression.
Israel has warned of a robust response should Hezbollah intensify its actions, while Hezbollah has vowed to reciprocate if Israel launches a ground incursion into Gaza. As the clashes persist, Saudi Arabia has joined the list of countries urging their citizens to leave Lebanon.
The US State Department has similarly advised its citizens not to visit Lebanon and urged those already there to make suitable exit arrangements. The Lebanese Red Cross collected the bodies and remains of four deceased Hezbollah militants on Wednesday morning, raising concerns about the delay in retrieving them.
It was revealed that a total of eleven militants from Hezbollah have lost their lives since the conflict commenced. These deaths were reported the day prior. The situation further escalated with reports of two Lebanese farmers being injured in the southern village of Aitaroun due to Israeli gunfire.
Lebanese military sources revealed that the Israeli army expanded its artillery shelling in southern Lebanon, causing damage to 14 houses in areas around Aitaroun. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated with artillery fire, although no IDF casualties were reported.
It has been revealed that the current escalation, which has gripped the region, can be traced back to a significant event that occurred on October 8. According to reports, Hezbollah, a prominent militant group, launched a barrage of rockets towards Israeli military sites.
This action was purportedly carried out in support of a Hamas attack against Israel. Israeli forces unleashed a barrage of heavy artillery, strategically aiming at multiple locations in southeast Lebanon on the very same day.
Amid these tensions, peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have dispelled reports of an evacuation from the border region, Global Times reported.
Related Article: Hospital Strike in Gaza Kills Hundreds; Records Highest Death Toll
