Israel Strikes Lebanon As Hezbollah Joins Hamas (Image: pixabay.com)
Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, joined Israel-Hamas war on Sunday in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. Hezbollah, an army party backed by Iran, reportedly targeted Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms, a strip of land occupied by Israel since 1967 and claimed by Lebanon as its own. Following this, Israel hit Hezbollah targets with drone strikes near the borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reports, claimed responsibility for the mortar strikes from Lebanon into Shebaa Farms. Israel responded with artillery strikes. The escalation comes after the Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to ‘’turn the besieged Palestinian enclave into a ’deserted land’ following the attack by Hamas””.
“This is not something that Hezbollah should [shoulder] alone. It is a decision that has to be taken by all the Arab states together’’, responded Lebanese MP Najat Aoun Saliba to Al Jazeera.
Reuters reported that an attack in Alexandria has been confirmed by the Israeli foreign ministry and an Egyptian interior ministry. Fighting is still underway, for more than 24 hours, after an unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza on Israel. More Palestinian fighters have entered Magen, a Southern Israeli town and the Israel army is using tanks against them.
As the Associated Press reports, nearly 300 people were killed in Israel including 26 soldiers, while in Gaza 313 died in Israeli shelling, and the list included 20 children. According to Israeli police, nearly 30 police officers were dead in the attack from the “barrage” of rockets from Palestine, said Middle East Eye.
Israel declared a state of war after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an aerial-ground operation from the Gaza strip in the early hours of Saturday morning. The attack was deadly surprise and the operation, named ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’, consisted of a barrage of 3000 rockets and an unprecedented infiltration into the southern part of Israel.
Muhammed Deif, Hamas leader said the group had released nearly 5000 rockets towards Israel. Israel claims the number to be 2,200. Israeli military also confirmed high ranking officers were killed by the Palestinians.
Hamas called all the Palestinians to come forward and join the “Al Aqsa Storm” operation. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said the happenings are not operation. He said, “we are at war, this is not an operation”.
This is the first ever major attack against Israel from the Palestine so far. Since the Israeli occupation has gained power and started stretching them around the West Bank and Al Aqsa mosque a little too much when compared to the previous year, it looks like Palestine, the largest “open prison in the world” is going to stick to their word as Mr. Deif said “enough is enough”.
