Israel prepares for war with Hezbollah – DW – 27.06.2024

Two people were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Syria overnight, Syrian state media reported.

“At around 11:40 p.m., the Israeli enemy carried out an airstrike from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several positions in the southern region, killing two people and wounding one soldier,” the SANA news agency reported.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted a facility run by a foundation linked to Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah.

Following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Israel has stepped up its attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria. Israeli authorities have made little comment on such attacks.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country does not want war with Lebanon but is prepared to inflict great damage if diplomatic efforts fail.

“We don’t want war, but we are preparing for any scenario,” Gallant told reporters in the US during a visit to Washington.

“Hezbollah is well aware that we can cause massive damage in Lebanon if war breaks out.”

Gallant added that the Israeli military would be capable of sending Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” in a possible war against the Iran-backed group.

Gallant spoke during a trip to Washington. The Biden administration has repeatedly warned against an escalation of the conflict to the wider region.

Tens of thousands of people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon were forced to flee their homes as Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli military opened fire on each other.

On Tuesday, Gallant met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is pushing for a diplomatic agreement between the two sides.

In view of the tense situation on the border with Israel, the Foreign Office is calling on its citizens to leave Lebanon.

A further escalation could bring air traffic in Beirut to a standstill, the Foreign Ministry said in its latest travel warning..

“Leaving Lebanon by air would then no longer be possible,” it said.

The Foreign Ministry said there was a risk of further escalation due to regular exchanges of fire across the border since October 7.

“After the Palestinian Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah and other armed groups also fired mortar shells, anti-tank weapons and rockets at Israel from Lebanese territory since October 8, 2023,” it said.

German authorities warned amid increasing warnings from the Israeli government that the conflict could escalate.

“This applies in particular to the southern parts of Lebanon up to and including the southern urban areas of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, including the Baalbek-Hermel district,” the ministry said.

zc/ab (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)