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“Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks. The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in the strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday. Hezbollah confirmed he had been killed.” Reuters
Here’s our recent coverage of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. The Flip Side
The left is generally critical of Israel’s offensive, and urges negotiations to end the fighting.
“US and French officials briefed that Mr Netanyahu had privately approved the Lebanon ceasefire that he then publicly rejected. Over months, the Israeli prime minister has periodically told Washington what it wants to hear, and then done whatever he wanted. As Israel feigned some interest in US diplomatic initiatives, it was planning the comprehensive assault on Hezbollah that has poured fuel on the flames…
“The failure of Mr Biden’s embrace of Mr Netanyahu is starker than ever. The president should tell him that the US will not continue to supply weaponry so that Israel can recklessly ignore it. As world leaders have insisted, a ceasefire in Lebanon is the immediate priority. But only a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza too – and beyond that, the creation of a Palestinian state – can bring the region peace.”
Editorial Board, The Guardian
“Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s leader in 1992 after the assassination of his predecessor and mentor, Abbas al-Musawi, also in an Israeli airstrike. Israelis rejoiced at the death of Musawi, with some imagining Hezbollah might die with him. Yet Nasrallah — then a young and obscure cleric — proved to be even more effective an empire builder than Musawi was… It is quite possible that [Nasrallah’s successor] will prove equally adept…
“[Hezbollah] is not only a powerful military force and a potent terrorist organization but also a quasi-governmental agency throughout southern Lebanon that wins the loyalty of Shiites by providing Iranian-funded social services in place of Lebanon’s dysfunctional central government…
“It would be nice to think the Lebanese government could now disarm Hezbollah and end its reign of terror, but that is wishful thinking. Israel will still have to reckon with the Iranian-backed organization for years to come.”
Max Boot, Washington Post
“Tehran has deep-seated reasons for showing restraint in recent weeks—reasons that still hold no matter how egregious it views the killing of Nasrallah to be. First, Iran’s options for retaliation against Israel are very limited, and it can’t bring about much damage there without risking a destruction of Iranian infrastructure that might take decades to rebuild. Second, Iran has been trying for months to ease tensions…
“This past week in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a visiting Iranian delegation headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Hezbollah and Hamas but put its main focus on giving out peace vibes. Pezeshkian even told a group of American journalists that Iran would put down its arms if Israel also did so…
“Israel would do well to take Nasrallah’s death as a resounding win against the Axis and use the occasion to wind down the wars against Hezbollah and Hamas. If there was ever a time for Israel to pursue peace with its neighbors from a position of strength, this is it.”
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic
The right supports Israel’s offensive, and argues that Nasrallah’s killing was justified.
The right supports Israel’s offensive, and argues that Nasrallah’s killing was justified.
“In June, a sophisticated intelligence operation culminated in the death of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, a figure partly responsible for the Beirut barracks bombing and the deaths of 241 U.S. soldiers. In recent days, he was joined by Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, senior leaders in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, the Hezbollah commander responsible for a deadly attack on IDF soldiers in 2000, was ‘eliminated’ [last] Tuesday…
“And all this follows the spectacularly successful campaign of sabotage that took hundreds of Hezbollah fighters [off the battlefield]… Whether Iran retaliates and what form it takes will dictate the trajectory this war takes. And Nasrallah’s death does not neutralize the threat posed by Hezbollah. But the devastating blows Israel has meted out against an organization that is an enemy of the West with American blood on its hands are staggering. They should be celebrated.”
The Editors, National Review
“US diplomatic assurances regarding Hezbollah are worthless. US officials brought an end to the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. It stipulated that there were to be no armed personnel or weapons south of the Litani, other than those of the Lebanese government and the UN peacekeeping force…
“The resolution was a farce, as Hezbollah’s presence and capabilities in south Lebanon have only grown in the two decades since it was passed. Obviously, there is no chance the Lebanese government will ever take action against Hezbollah, which controls the government. Nor will the US, France, or any other power enforce UNSCR 1701…
“If Washington and the Europeans are appalled by Israel’s campaign over the last two weeks, it’s because the Israelis have resurfaced the ugly truth that no modish theories of war, international organizations, or even American presidents could long obscure. Wars are won by killing the enemy, above all, those who inspire their people to kill yours.”
Lee Smith, New York Post
“This massive disruption to the group’s ability to fight will lead to short-term destruction and political chaos in Lebanon, but it opens the door for a future in which Lebanon isn’t dominated by a self-serving terrorist group and its masters in Tehran… In the long term, there is a path out of conflict and war for Lebanon…
“A Lebanon not in thrall to a global terrorist network masquerading as a legitimate political party will have a chance to rebuild as a real, sovereign government. Without the ever-present threat of rocket fire, tourists will again be able to visit its amazing beaches, gorgeous mountains and stellar restaurants…
“The economy can start to recover from the devastating losses brought by corruption, mismanagement, and repeated tragedies. The remnants of Hezbollah will need to make the decision Nasrallah should have made for them decades ago: to turn to peace, politics and a door cracked open to prosperity.”
Emily Harding, Wall Street Journal
