- cross-posted to:
- globalnews
- cross-posted to:
- globalnews
Israel and Hezbollah edged closer towards full scale war on Tuesday, as the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group launched explosive drones at a key Israeli command base, declaring the attack part of its response to recent high-level Israeli assassinations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah announced it had launched “a number of explosive attack drones” at the Israeli northern military command base in Safed, the first time it has targeted the site.
As air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Tuesday, Israeli aircraft, drones and artillery struck multiple targets inside southern Lebanon, including a strike on a car during the funeral of a senior commander in the group’s elite Radwan force who had been killed the day before.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati – a Sunni businessman and politician who describes himself as “liberal” and is not part of Hezbollah – said that while his country was open to negotiations, it was being threatened with war.
My friend, Hezbollah is the most influential political party in Lebanon and has its own militia. The Lebanese state not only does not have a monopoly on violence, it doesn’t even claim a monopoly on violence. Since at least 2008, despite its constitution, Hezbollah (edit: oops) has been recognized by successive governments as a legitimate military force on the same level as the Lebanese Armed Forces, but with none of the accountability. It also has a vast network covering every aspect of Lebanese society. It is called the “shadow government” of Lenanon for a reason. You will likely find the following analysis interesting.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/06/how-hezbollah-holds-sway-over-lebanese-state