War clouds all over West Asia
The international community must force a ceasefire before Israel does a Gaza in Lebanon
Israel’s actions in Lebanon, including the killing of veteran Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, have taken West Asia well past the brink it has teetered on for almost a year since the brazen terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s pledge to avenge the killing of Nasrallah and the overall escalation in the region, including by Tehran-backed proxies, are all ominous developments. It is worrying that Netanyahu ordered the strike on Lebanon that killed Nasrallah while in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where many countries have called for a cessation of hostilities. Israel continues to thumb its nose at the world community while continuing on the reckless and wanton path of escalation and destruction chosen by Netanyahu, while its strongest backer in the West, the United States, has turned a complete blind eye to the country’s actions while supplying it with the weapons of mass destruction that have wreaked carnage in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
The policy of assassinations targeting extremist groups in Lebanon and Gaza may lead to short-term gains for the Israeli military but organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas are not oriented around any one individual leader, and it is anybody’s guess if killing one leader can truly make a difference in the long run. Israel’s actions will lead to a hardening of attitudes among Arab States, even those who had signed on for the Abraham Accords, because of fears about these measures giving a boost to radical and extremist forces. These actions, especially the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, also limit the options available to Iran, including its new reformist leadership, which may be forced to respond. The developments in Lebanon could even end up hampering efforts to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, on which there have been talks in recent days.
All this is happening when the UN General Assembly is meeting and days after the world body overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine within the next year. The consequences for the entire world will be catastrophic if Netanyahu’s actions lead to the situation in West Asia spiralling further out of control. World leaders must intervene with Israel and force a ceasefire before Netanyahu does a Gaza in Lebanon.
Israel’s actions in Lebanon, including the killing of veteran Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, have taken West Asia well past the brink it has teetered on for almost a year since the brazen terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s pledge to avenge the killing of Nasrallah and the overall escalation in the region, including by Tehran-backed proxies, are all ominous developments. It is worrying that Netanyahu ordered the strike on Lebanon that killed Nasrallah while in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where many countries have called for a cessation of hostilities. Israel continues to thumb its nose at the world community while continuing on the reckless and wanton path of escalation and destruction chosen by Netanyahu, while its strongest backer in the West, the United States, has turned a complete blind eye to the country’s actions while supplying it with the weapons of mass destruction that have wreaked carnage in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
The policy of assassinations targeting extremist groups in Lebanon and Gaza may lead to short-term gains for the Israeli military but organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas are not oriented around any one individual leader, and it is anybody’s guess if killing one leader can truly make a difference in the long run. Israel’s actions will lead to a hardening of attitudes among Arab States, even those who had signed on for the Abraham Accords, because of fears about these measures giving a boost to radical and extremist forces. These actions, especially the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, also limit the options available to Iran, including its new reformist leadership, which may be forced to respond. The developments in Lebanon could even end up hampering efforts to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, on which there have been talks in recent days.
All this is happening when the UN General Assembly is meeting and days after the world body overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine within the next year. The consequences for the entire world will be catastrophic if Netanyahu’s actions lead to the situation in West Asia spiralling further out of control. World leaders must intervene with Israel and force a ceasefire before Netanyahu does a Gaza in Lebanon.