Recent stories from sustg

MUST-READS

  • Aside from Israel, Lebanon needs to be protected from another enemy: itself

    If Iran, and its militias, fail to respond, it means Israel also wins psychologically yet again. If Hezbollah retaliates as a group, or if any of its followers worldwide acts individually, this would distract global public opinion from the mounting accusations of war crimes committed in Gaza and Lebanon, and allow the Israeli government to repeat, yet again, that it is only defending itself.

  • Iran After the Lebanon Debacle: Suppress Domestic Dissent and Dash for the Bomb?

    Iran’s recent debacle in Lebanon bears some resemblance to the Argentine military junta’s defeat in the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and Britian over the Falkland Islands. In an appeal to Argentine nationalism, the junta “reclaimed” the islands, was defeated by Britain after 74 days, and relinquished power in 1983. In similar fashion, the Islamic Republic of Iran dedicated considerable time and effort to forge the much-heralded “axis of resistance,” with Lebanese Hezbollah at its core, to encircle Israel and deter Israeli bombardment of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, since September 17, Israel has seemingly managed to neutralize hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and operatives and assassinated the top military and political leadership of the Lebanese militia.

  • Inside the Lebanese Valley Where Israel Is Bombarding Hezbollah

    The bombardments across the Bekaa Valley are part of the more than 1,000 airstrikes that Israel has launched against Lebanon since Monday in an attempt to weaken Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese military group. The campaign is one of the most intense in contemporary warfare, experts say, and led to the deadliest day in Lebanon in decades.

  • Hezbollah says it is ready for any Israeli land invasion in Lebanon

    Hezbollah fighters are ready to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon, the group's, deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Monday in his first public address since Israel killed its chief Hassan Nasrallah last week. Israel will not achieve its goals, he said. "We will face any possibility and we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land and the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement," he said in an address from an undisclosed location.

  • Israel ‘didn’t even respond’ to truce proposal, as it continues bombing Lebanon

    Israel's prime minister indicated that he "did not even respond" to proposals aimed at bringing about a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, as Israeli forces continued raining down air strikes on Lebanon.  On Thursday, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron published a joint statement calling for a 21-day truce, aimed at paving the way for broader negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.  Just hours later, however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office rejected the idea.

  • Iraq calls for emergency Arab, Islamic summit to halt Israeli aggression on Lebanon

    Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, yesterday proposed holding an emergency Arab and Islamic summit aimed at “unifying efforts to halt Israeli aggression” in Lebanon, Anadolu reported. Since Monday morning, the Israeli military has launched what is described as its “most intense and wide-ranging” assault on Lebanon since hostilities with Hezbollah began nearly a year ago. The attacks resulted in 569 deaths, including 50 children and 94 women, and left 1,835 wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

  • Israel rejects U.S.-backed Lebanon ceasefire proposal

    Israel rejected proposals on Thursday for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, defying allies including the United States which had called for an immediate three-week halt in fighting to allow for diplomacy to avert a wider war. "There will be no ceasefire in the north," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X. "We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organization with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes."

  • One week on, how the Lebanon attacks have changed the Middle East

    But when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah kept its weapons in violation of a UN resolution requiring it to disarm. It continued to present itself as a necessary force for the defence of Lebanon and “became the country's most powerful political actor”, says Prof Khatib. Although it is represented in Lebanon’s government, Hezbollah’s real power lies behind the scenes, she adds - as an armed group that many analysts say is more powerful than the Lebanese army, it has the ability to intimidate its opponents.

  • Saudi Arabia emphasizes the importance of Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty

    The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed grave concern over the ongoing security developments in Lebanon, reiterating the risks associated with the escalation of violence in the region and its potential impact on regional security and stability. According to a statement from the ministry, Saudi Arabia urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to distance the region and its people from the dangers of war.

  • Iran’s Guards ban communications devices after strike on Hezbollah

    Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is underway by the IRGC to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.