MASSIVE Lebanon Escalation Leaves Netanyahu Flailing!

Right, so with just a day left of the Lebanon ceasefire, Netanyahu’s days of abusing it with impunity with little or no comeback, as both Lebanese forces and Hezbollah have not risen to the bait look set to end. Over 1300 breaches of the ceasefire have been committed by the IDF, for whom the rules never seem to apply and with time running out for them in Lebanon, an extension to the ceasefire having already been given to them to give them more time to leave has been marked by them very much not leaving and even escalating their atrocities all the more.
But with a new President in Lebanon now and a new government having now taken over, clashes have happened not just between Israel and Lebanon, but between Lebanon and Hezbollah too, at least in a political sense, an issue that will only ever help Israel if the two forces in Lebanon cannot get themselves on the same page.
Right, so the looming end of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is upon us, set to expire tomorrow, not that Israel have really taken any notice of it in the slightest, having breached it incessantly and repeatedly as they have, but with the end of it the powder keg that has been Lebanon and Hezbollah both by and large adhering to the ceasefire whilst Israel hasn’t is waiting to explode, with all of the implications for regional stability and civilian lives that will inevitably come with that.
But whilst the ceasefire has been in place, the political landscape of Lebanon has changed. They now have a new President in Joseph Aoun, he has appointed a new government, a new cabinet, led by former President of The International Court of Justice Nawaf Salam, a government which includes 5 members of Hezbollah of course, they might be regarded as just another terrorist organisation in some countries, but they are also elected political figures and when Lebanese governments are always coalitions of some form or another, this should not be particularly surprising to anyone. Yet despite Hezbollah being this powerful Lebanese political and military group, terror group depending on where you live, they are also at odds with their own government over how to handle Israel, plus the small matter of the flight suspension with Iran, purely on the basis of Israeli claims, which have caused further division between Lebanese government and Hezbollah, Iran being their great allies.
So with a ceasefire ending and all the mess that will no doubtr come with that as Lebanese forces seem certain to begin retaliation again, who stands to gain here, and who stands to lose? And most importantly, what does this mean for the people caught in the crossfire?
Well the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been a sick joke at best. Officially, it was meant to de-escalate tensions along the border between the two nations, Hezbollah required to leave the area south of the Litani River and be replaced in effect by Lebanese army personnel, but Israel have continually claimed this hasn’t happened as their justification to remain, having won them one ceasefire extension, but not a second, that extension in and of itself a ridiculous rewarding of Israel for having repeatedly violated that ceasefire and it has gone on.
For example, just last week, Israeli troops killed a 13-year-old girl in southern Lebanon and kidnapped several others. These actions have sparked outrage, not just in Lebanon but across the region.
These breaches aren’t isolated incidents, they’ve been a consistent part of the actions of Israeli in southern Lebanon ever since the ceasefire began there in late November, part of a pattern of aggression that undermines the very purpose of the ceasefire, yet Israel receive no censure, the violations severely underreported in western media, so much of what we know coming from alternative and foreign media, so the looming end of the ceasefire raises not so much a question of whether the ceasefire held, but more a question of it ever really did and a speech issued by Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem certainly underlines how they feel about it:
‘"On 18 February, Israel must withdraw completely and without any pretext, and the state must not accept 5 points or anything else."
"There is no excuse for the occupation to continue and the position of the Lebanese state must be firm and decisive."
"The country will not be developed except through the cooperation of all parties, and we are ready for that and to approve the necessary reforms."
"We will not leave people, neither in shelter, nor in restoration, nor in reconstruction. God willing, the houses will return better than they were."
"The Prime Minister took the decision to prevent the Iranian plane from landing under the pretext of aviation and civilian safety, and this is an implementation of the Israeli decision."
"I call on the Lebanese government to reconsider the decision to ban Iranian flights and express its sovereign position."
"We are against the attack on UNIFIL."
"Trump's positions on the Palestinian issue are very dangerous positions that want to end Palestine and its people."
"Trump's positions are a political genocide after Netanyahu and America failed to achieve genocide during the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood."
"We condemn any displacement of Palestinians in the region and reject their displacement to Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia."
"Today it has been proven that everything Israel does is under American management and leadership."
"Arab and Islamic countries must be present to reject the displacement of Palestinians."
"The American project is a danger to everyone and to the Arab and Islamic countries."
"We are ready as Hezbollah to contribute if the Arab and Islamic countries have plans to reject the displacement of the Palestinians."
"We do not surrender, we are not defeated, nor will falsehood rise above our heads."’
Yes Israel wish to remain in 5 points of Southern Israel, that isn’t acceptable, nor is the planning by the big orange man baby in the US, Donald Trump to redevelop Gaza and displace Palestinians into Egypt or Jordan and nor indeed is the suspension of those flights from Iran, done on Israeli pretexts, though the attacks at the airport in Lebanon, allegedly from Hezbollah supporters as much of the media have latched onto funnily enough, have been condemned and rightfully so.
Now, let’s be clear: ceasefires are supposed to be a two-way street. But when one side repeatedly violates the terms, it’s hard to see this as anything other than a one-sided effort to maintain control. And that raises serious ethical and legal questions about Israel’s actions and by association serious questions regarding Lebanon choosing to pay attention to them over Iranian flights putting the Lebanese government at odds with Hezbollah.
Complicating matters even further beyond the division Israel has sown successfully already regarding Iran, is the growing rift between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government over how to deal with Israel going forwards. Hezbollah, has long been a key player in Lebanon’s resistance against Israel. But right now, they’re at odds with their own government over how to handle the escalating tensions.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the full disarmament of Hezbollah, calling them a ‘terrorist organisation’ and a threat to regional stability because taking a moment of self reflection appears to be beyond his deranged and tiny mind, it’s the pot calling the kettle antisemitic or something along those lines.
Hezbollah was born out of resistance to Israeli occupation in the 1980s, and for many in Lebanon, regardless of the terrorist designation they have in other parts of the world, they’re seen as defenders of the nation. So, when Israel demands their disarmament, it’s not just a call for peace, it’s a demand for surrender and that is something the Lebanese government must be acutely aware of, no matter how many people might find such a notion unacceptable.
It is Netanyahu making demands whilst offering nothing in return again though, especially when his side have done nothing but breach the ceasefire because it’s what Israel always do. Peace can’t be achieved through one sided, unilateral demands. If Israel truly wanted stability – and it doesn’t, it just wants control – they’d engage in negotiation, not issue ultimatums.
But at the heart of all this are those caught up in the middle, people like that 13-year-old girl who lost her life, or the families displaced by violence, still unable to return to their homes because of the IDF stopping them. They’re the ones paying the price for political and military posturing on both sides at this point.
So, what can we do? First, we need to stay informed via alternative and foreign media, sharing what we find. We need to think critically about the narratives we’re being fed when the mainstream media does decide to cover Middle East events, because too often it is with an Israel sympathetic narrative underlining it all and we also need to demand accountability from those in power, especially in Western nations where the narrative is overarchingly pro Israel, because peace doesn’t just mean the absence of war, it’s the presence of justice and Israel above all are owed a reckoning in the dock.
The end of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon isn’t just a deadline, it’s a crossroads and although one road points to a resurgence in conflict on both sides, the other is how much other entities more widely may be drawn in.
One such group that have opined on supporting Lebanon against Israel and who may now have the capabilities to do so militarily themselves are the Houthis in Yemen, having managed to strike targets in Israel as far north as Haifa. Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch. Please do also hit like, share and subscribe if you haven’t done so already, so as to ensure you don’t miss out on all new content published daily and also it helps to support the channel as well, which is very much appreciated and I’ll hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.