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• Flurry of diplomatic activity as Western leaders try to talk down Tehran, Beirut
• Tel Aviv claims killing another Hezbollah commander
• Crisis cell set up to help Pakistanis
• Nasrallah’s body found, funeral not scheduled yet
BEIRUT / JERUSALEM: Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon on Sunday, claiming the killing of another top Hezbollah official, as the US indicated it was increasing its air support capabilities in the Middle East and putting troops on a heightened readiness to deploy to the region.
The announcement from Washington came as the region was still reeling from the assassination of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a massive airstrike a day earlier. Ali Karake, the group’s top commander in southern Lebanon, and Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Gen Abbas Nilforoushan also died in the same attack.
Iran, which is considered a backer of the anti-Israel Hezbollah group, has vowed revenge for what it describes as a “horrible crime of the aggressor Zionist regime”, saying it will not go unanswered.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Israel should not be allowed to attack countries of the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” one after the other.
The escalation has prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was due in Beirut on Sunday evening, while Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is due to meet the Iranian president in Tehran on Monday.
Tehran has also called for the United Nations Security Council to meet over Israel’s actions.
Washington, which had praised Nasrallah’s assassination as “a measure of justice for victims of Hezbollah attacks”, on Sunday urged a peaceful resolution.
White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran would not help residents of northern Israel return to their homes.
If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,“ Kirby told CNN.
He pointed out that the Biden administration “made no bones about the fact that we don’t necessarily see the tactical execution the same way that [the Israelis] do in terms of protection (of civilians), but maintained that American support for Israel’s security was iron-clad
The US also warned Tehran against “exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict”.
If Iran or groups it backs “use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the US will take every necessary measure to defend our people,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
The Pentagon statement offered few clues as to the size or scope of the new air deployment, saying only that US forces were being made ready to deploy and “we will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days.”
Separately, the US also claimed killing 37 “terrorist operatives” including members of the so-called Islamic State militant group and an Al Qaeda affiliate, in two separate strikes over the weekend.
More killings
Israel claims that around 20 Hezbollah members perished in the strike alongside Nasrallah.
Sources told AFP that the body of the slain leader had been recovered and “placed in a shroud on Sunday after being washed”, adding that a funeral ceremony and burial have not yet been arranged.
Meanwhile, protests erupted across the Middle East and Muslim world over the killing of the charismatic Hezbollah chief, with demonstrations being held in Syria, Cyprus and Pakistan.
Even Lebanon’s top Christian cleric Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai — who was a critic of Nasrallah — said the Hezbollah chief’s killing had “opened a wound in the heart of the Lebanese”.
On Sunday, Tel Aviv also claimed the killing of Nabil Qaouq, a member of Hezbollah’s central council, in a strike as its air force continued to hit “dozens” more targets around Lebanon.
With the country already mired in political and economic crisis, the Israeli escalation has pushed it to the brink, with the bombardment killing over 1,000 people and leaving over 6,000 wounded in just a week.
The government says that a million people — a fifth of the population — had fled their homes.
In Beirut, some displaced families spent the night on the benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut’s waterfront. On Sunday morning, families with nothing more than a duffle bag of clothes had rolled out mats to sleep on and made tea for themselves.
Papal disapproval
In a rare comment, Pope Francis said Israeli military attacks on Lebanon go “beyond morality”.
A day earlier, the 87-year-old patriarch of the Catholic church had called for an immediate ceasefire in “martyred” Lebanon and the wider Middle East.
Responding to a question during an in-flight press conference about Israel’s latest strikes on Sunday, the 87-year-old pope said: “Defence must always be proportionate to the attack. When there is something disproportionate, you see a tendency to dominate that goes beyond morality.”
“Even in war there is a morality to safeguard,” he said. “War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality.”
Crisis cell for Pakistanis
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its Crisis Management Unit (CMU) to assist Pakistani nationals and their families affected by the crisis in Lebanon.
The ministry in Islamabad and the Pakistani embassy in Beirut are continuing their efforts to assist Pakistani nationals impacted by the situation in Lebanon, the FO spokesperson said.
She urged Pakistani nationals affected by the situation to contact the CMU at its Islamabad landline number 051-9207887 or via email at cmu1@mofa.gov.pk. Also, the Pakistani embassy in Beirut is available 24/7 at 00961-81669488 and 00961-81815104, and parepbeirut@mofa.gov.pk.
Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024
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