​Rogue state: On Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah  

Israel is choosing war over peace, escalation over compromise 

First the pagers exploded. Then came the walkie-talkies. And then, Israel launched a massive bombardment campaign targeting Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese-Shia militant group. As it appears, the pager and walkie-talkie explosions were a part of Israel’s coordinated strategy aimed at weakening Hezbollah in their slow-burning war since October 7, 2023. When Israel launched its Gaza invasion after Hamas’s attack a year ago, Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel “in solidarity with the Palestinians”. While both sides exchanged fire, they were wary of not letting the tensions spiral into an all-out war. But that caution was abandoned when Israel killed Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an air strike on Beirut on July 31. Israel’s large-scale air strikes, especially in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, saw the militia group firing hundreds of rockets into Israel. The war in the north has forced about 70,000 Israelis out of their homes. Earlier this month, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that enabling the displaced residents to return to their homes in the northern Upper Galilee region was one of the objectives of the ongoing war. Then came the pager explosions and the subsequent air strikes.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 575 people, including women and children, were killed in Israel’s air strikes in just two days. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired more projectiles, including a ballistic missile on Wednesday (September 25, 2024) towards Tel Aviv. The conflict is now in an escalatory spiral and what is to be seen is whether Israel would launch a ground invasion. In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon with the aim of pushing out Palestinian guerrillas north of the Litani river. The operation was unsuccessful. In 1982, its invasion — this time, the goal was to push the PLO out of Lebanon — managed to force the PLO to relocate from Lebanon, but the war led to the creation of Hezbollah. In 2000, after 18 years of Hezbollah’s resistance, Israel withdrew, leaving a buffer it had carved out on the border in the hands of Hezbollah. In 2006, after a Hezbollah cross-border raid, Israel launched another invasion, but after 30 days of fighting, withdrew as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. If the past is any indication, Israel is making another mistake in Lebanon. A ceasefire in Gaza, which has been overwhelmingly demanded by the international community, would have quietened the northern border. Instead, Mr. Netanyahu, whose troops have killed over 40,000 Palestinians in 11 months in Gaza, has chosen to escalate the war with Hezbollah, killing hundreds more and pushing West Asia to the brink of an all-out war. This bellicosity, callousness and total disregard for international law and norms all bear the hallmarks of a rogue state. A rogue state with impunity.

Published - September 26, 2024 12:10 am IST