When October 7 arrived and the Hamas surprise attack on Israel took place, the world shifted its gaze towards occupied Palestine and its ruthless genocide. At that very same time, Lebanon had to face a whole new slew of violence. Since October 7, for more than 2 months, Hezbollah and allied Palestinian groups in Lebanon showcased solidarity for Palestine by launching daily missile attacks on Israel. In response, Israel responded by shelling border areas in southern Lebanon. The clashes between Israel and Lebanon have been ongoing since that time. For a full overview of the ongoings in Lebanon, here are the major incidents that happened so far:
Deadly Border Attack
The border between Lebanon and Israel has become the main point of attack between the two countries, mainly at the south of Lebanon’s border. As a result of violent exchange of fire at the border, the occupation army has evacuated thousands of civilians from the border area. Several months back, more than 4200 people have been displaced from the villages in the south of Lebanon. Some 1500 of those that got displaced ended up finding refuge in three schools at the coastal city of Tyre which is located 20 kilometers north of the border.
It seems these clashes are not stopping anytime soon especially as the Hezbollah number two Naim Qassem made it clear that “Israel is not in a position to impose its options,” and that Israel “first must stop the Gaza war in order for the war in Lebanon to stop”.
Growing Death Toll & Damage
On Lebanon’s side, so far, the ongoing exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon left more than 150 people dead most of which are Hezbollah combatants. Along with the combatants, 20 civilians were killed, three of whom were journalists. Beyond the death toll, there was also significant damage to many areas across the south of Lebanon which included significant historical landmarks like the 600-year-old Deir Mimas Monastery along with other age-old holy sites in Lebanon.
The Beirut Attack
Throughout the ongoing clashes between the two countries, one main incident shook the globe and may lead to serious repercussions. Since the start of the clashes between Lebanon and Israel, most of the fighting remained confined to the border. Yet, the conflict took a new turn when Israel began moving inwards and ended up attacking a particular district in Beirut.
Saleh Al Arouri Assassination
Attacking the Beirut district was bad in and of itself yet what caused a wave of anger across the globe was how one of Hamas’ most senior officials, Salah al-Arouri was killed in a targeted drone attack along with his bodyguards in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs. al-Arouri is known as a key figure in Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. He was also a close ally of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader. For some time, he had been in Lebanon acting as point of contact and connection between Hamas and Hezbollah.
The attack was not taken lightly especially by Hamas who responded in a statement on Tuesday night stating that the assassination was a “serious assault on Lebanon” and also mentioned how it is a “dangerous development in the course of war between enemy and axis of resistance … [that] will not go without a response or punishment. The resistance has its finger on the trigger.”
Will It Turn Into A Full Fledged War?
Throughout the conflict, there is this bubbling fear that the fighting will turn into a full-fledged war especially as the two sides are increasing the intensity of their attacks. With the recent killing of al-Arouri, tension has heightened even further. Now, all eyes are on the border awaiting to see how events will unfold.