AFP, Europa Press, Reuters, Xinhua and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, August 7, 2024, p. 27
Beirut. The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah launched a series of drone and rocket attacks against northern Israel yesterday, but warned that its retaliation for the death of Fuad Shukr, one of its top commanders, last week, is yet to come and will be powerful and effectiveat a time when the United States told the Islamic Republic and Tel Aviv that the conflict must not escalate.
Amid fears that the Islamic Republic and its allies could launch attacks against Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: We have maintained intense diplomatic activity with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran and Israel..
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed an offensive across the Shiite axis, including the Houthisand asserted that his movement and Iran are forced to retaliate against Tel Aviv regardless of the consequencesfollowing the assassinations of Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was replaced by Yahya Sinwar, 61, who had previously been the group’s head in Gaza.
The new leader has a reputation for being radical and pragmatic, having spent 23 years in Israeli prisons and considered the mastermind of the October 7 attacks in Israel, so his appointment is read as a strong message to Tel Aviv.
Minutes after the announcement, celebrated by Palestinian factions and pro-Iranian militias, a volley of rockets were fired towards Israel from Gaza.
This appointment It is one more reason to eliminate it quickly and wipe this despicable organization off the map.Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X.
▲ In an archive image, Yahya Sinwar, 61, who replaces Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed last week. According to the weekly The Jewish Chroniclepublished in London, Haniyeh was reportedly killed by a bomb placed under his bed by two members of the Revolutionary Guard recruited by the Israeli Mossad. The device was left there for nine hours before being activated. Iran has neither denied nor confirmed the story.Photo Ap
Blinken stressed that Sinwar has been and continues to be the one who makes the decisions when it comes to arranging a ceasefire.
In this context, Israeli fighter jets broke the sound barrier three times in less than 30 minutes over Beirut yesterday, before Nasrallah’s speech at the ceremony honoring Shukr, causing panic and anxiety among the population. Some even began packing their things to seek shelter in mountainous areas.
Meanwhile, US officials reported Iranian war preparations against Israel, although the scope and timing of retaliation remained unclear yesterday, the newspaper reported. USA Today.
One of Tel Aviv’s fears, the paper added, is that Hezbollah will join the offensive, since They have an arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of causing significant damage in Israel..
On April 13, Israel’s air defense system, combined with a U.S.-led allied effort, intercepted 300 missiles and drones fired by Iran in retaliation for an airstrike on its consulate in Syria that killed several people, including a Revolutionary Guards commander.
Pro-Iranian militias have claimed responsibility for an attack on a US base in Iraq yesterday that left five people injured.
Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks against our personnel in the region.said Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense.