THE last time Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, it stuck around for 18 years until it was thrown out by Hezbollah in 2000. History seems to be repeating itself as Tel Aviv has once again invaded Lebanese territory in pursuit of its arch-foe to the north.

Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed its troops had begun invading Lebanon, albeit in ‘limited’ incursions. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has indeed been shell-shocked by the Israeli campaign of aggression, losing its chief Hassan Nasrallah and almost the entire first-tier leadership. Now, Tel Aviv thinks it can destroy the entire resistance group. However, the armed movement’s deputy chief Naim Qassem vowed to fight on in a video message on Monday.

The stage seems set for a protracted confrontation, for Hezbollah is at heart a guerrilla movement, and though it may be severely degraded, its cadres on the ground are not likely to be deterred. What is disturbing is that the Muslim and Arab blocs remain wholly unable to prevent Israeli aggression against a member of their fraternity, though the Iranian missile barrage targeting Israel on Tuesday is a belated attempt to send a message to Tel Aviv.

After decimating the defenceless population of Gaza in the name of defeating Hamas, which remains active, Israel now wants to ‘finish’ Hezbollah, though it has murdered hundreds of Lebanese civilians in the process, and displaced around one million in a population of just over 5m. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said Lebanon is facing “one of the most dangerous phases of its history”, while asking the UN to help its displaced population.

Yet the OIC and Arab League — the self-professed standard-bearers of Islamic brotherhood and Arab solidarity, respectively — have failed miserably — first in stopping Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza, and now the barbaric aggression against Lebanon. This despite the fact that some of their members, such as the Arab sheikhdoms, have considerable geopolitical clout due to their position as energy producers. But the OIC and Arab League have done little beyond issuing milquetoast appeals to end the violence.

Most in the West, on the other hand, are standing solidly by Israel, with the US supporting Tel Aviv’s duplicitous policy of “de-escalation through escalation”. If Israel is not stopped in its tracks, it will be emboldened to attack other countries in the region.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024