Published: 30 September 2024
Last updated: 30 September 2024
Israel is now effectively at war on three fronts: against Hamas in Gaza, against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against the Houthis in Yemen. It also faces a potential fourth front with additional forces called up in the West Bank.
On the northern front:
- Israel has assassinated several key Hezbollah commanders, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and five other key commanders and advisers. Nasrallah’s funeral has been delayed and the terrorist group has yet to name a successor, with obvious candidates killed too.
- Israel continues to pound Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, causing damage to both terrorist targets and civilians. Lebanon’s prime minister said more than 1,000 people have been killed over the past two weeks and up to a million may be displaced.
- Israel’s Iron Dome has successfully intercepted continuing barrages of Hezbollah rockets but there are fears the country’s defence systems could be overpowered.
In the south:
- Dozens of Israeli planes have struck infrastructure targets in Yemen, taking out power plants and a port and killing four people.
- The Israeli attack was in response to Houthi missiles which targeted Ben Gurion airport as a plane carrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived.
In Gaza:
- The IDF has assessed Hamas as defeated militarily in the entire Gaza Strip and reduced to a guerrilla terror group.
- The IDF has labelled dismantling Hamas as the most important war goal in the south, but said returning the hostages is a more urgent goal and it is receiving priority.
In the West Bank:
- Three reserve battalions have been called up for missions in the West Bank, with fears of increased terrorist activity in a fourth front.
ANALYSIS
Hezbollah has lost its leader before. Will it manage without Nasrallah? (Timour Azhari and Samia Nakhoul, Times of Israel)
Replacing Nasrallah will be an even bigger challenge now than at any point for years, after a series of recent Israeli attacks that have killed top Hezbollah commanders and raised questions over its internal security.
What might Hezbollah, Israel and Iran do next? (Frank Gardner, BBC)
Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the long-standing leader of Hezbollah, is a major escalation in its war with the Lebanese militant group. So where is it likely to go from here?
Hezbollah-Hamas paradox: The war Israel prepared for, and the one it didn't see coming by (Amir Tibon, Haaretz)
To understand this paradox – the humiliation suffered by Israel at the hands of Hamas, a relatively weaker enemy, and the pain Israel has inflicted on the larger and better armed Hezbollah – requires a broader discussion of Israel's national security priorities over the last two decades.
Further escalation with Hezbollah may soon be what cracks Israel's mighty Iron Dome (Annika Burgess, ABC)
Hezbollah has been stockpiling enough rockets to compromise the Iron Dome and cause damage to Israel's cities and infrastructure.
The US cannot allow Israel to turn Lebanon into a second Gaza (Mohamad Bazzi, Guardian)
This crisis is a humanitarian disaster that may destabilize the whole region. Does Biden have any ‘red lines’ left?
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