What's happened
As the Israel-Hamas war nears its one-year mark, Israel intensifies military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in significant casualties and infrastructure damage. Recent airstrikes have targeted key Hezbollah leaders and disrupted vital border crossings, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Independent, Israel's recent airstrikes have resulted in significant casualties, including the deaths of a Hamas official and his family in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The New York Times highlights that these strikes are part of a broader strategy to target Hezbollah's leadership, including a recent strike on a meeting of senior leaders. The Independent also notes that the closure of the Masnaa Border Crossing has severely impacted civilians attempting to flee the violence, with over 250,000 people crossing into Syria in late September. This situation underscores the dire humanitarian conditions exacerbated by ongoing military actions.
How we got here
The conflict escalated following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which prompted Israel to declare war on Hamas. Since then, hostilities have spread to Lebanon, where Hezbollah has engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces.
More on these topics
-
Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
-
Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament.
-
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
-
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.
-
Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
-
Bashar Hafez al-Assad is a Syrian politician who has been the President of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria.
-
Hassan Nasrallah is the third and current Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary party Hezbollah since his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was assassinated by the Israel Defense Forces in February 1992.